Invaders of Gallia
by Vineman
Summary: A civil war threatens the Amestrian province of Gallia, forcing Edward Elric and Avan Hardins to lead their misfit squad of military school cadets against a ruthless rebel army.
1. Chapter 1

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALIA

Chapter: 1

The Gallian Liberation Front

A WAR TORN COUNTRY

**Lanseal Military Academy**

**Southern Region of the Amestrian colony of Galia.**

It had, thus far, proven to be a fairly normal day at Lanseal Military Academy. Just as on any other day, students were drilling tirelessly, learning valuable military maneuvers that would preserve not only their lives, but the lives of others in the days to come. After all, with Gallia still torn by civil war, the army still decimated by the war with the neighboring Imperial Alliance two years ago, and no sign of aid coming from the Galian mother country, Amestris, any time soon, these students were the only line of defense for much of Sothern Galia. This fact had everyone on edge. So much so, in fact, that none of the drilling cadets noticed an unfamiliar man with long golden hair, wearing a long red jacket crossing the campus grounds towards the main facility, accompanied by a much larger man wearing a large suit of armor.

"So this is Galia," the boy said, "seems like a decent enough place, but man, I thought the main Amestrian army was merciless. These kids all look exhausted."

"They can't be that much older then we are, brother," the man in the armor said. His voice sounded like that of a young child! "Are those kids really supposed to fight in this war?"

"They don't have a choice, Al. This civil war has just gotten that out of hand," the smaller boy replied, "that's why we're here. We've gotta do everything we can to stop this war." He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and he turned to look, just as he ran right into the back of a young woman wearing a Lanseal drill uniform. The woman, who was tall with long pink hair, turned and glared down at the smaller man rather angrily.

"What the…? Hey, you watch we're you're going you little pipsqueak," the girl said irately which caused the smaller man to scowl just as fiercely.

"WHO YOU CALLING SO SMALL YOU CAN'T SEE HIM WITHOUT A MAGNIFYING GLASS! SO SMALL YOU JUST WANNA CRUSH HIM UNDER YOUR FEET LIKE AN ANT! LET GO OF MY ALPHONSE, SHE ASKED FOR IT!" he started shouting frantically as he made to grab for the woman's throat, forcing the armored man to grab him and hold him back.

"Brother, calm down. You're making us look bad," Alphonse said desperately trying to stop his brother.

"What's wrong, little man?" the woman asked, "did I strike a nerve? If you knew who you were dealing with you'd be far more respectful."

"Oh is that right, and just who am I dealing with?" the shorter man asked.

"I am Juliana Everhart, class chair of the elite Class A, Lanseal's finest, I might add," Juliana replied rather snobbishly which only irritated the smaller man more.

"Is that right. Let go of my Al, I promise I won't hurt her," he declared smiling wickedly.

"Alright, but remember Brother, you promised," Al replied as he released his brother who walked towards Juliana, who looked a little surprised by the young man's response.

"Juliana Everhart, chair of the elite class A, huh," the man said smugly clapping his hands together and slamming them down against the ground. Juliana yelped with fright as several rods of earth shot up around her, binding her arms and legs and preventing her from moving. She tried to scream, but as she did, one of the rods of earth wrapped around her head, rather effectively gagging the snobbish class chair. "The name's Edward Elric and believe me, the pleasure's all yours," Ed replied folding his arms and turning back to Alphonse, "come on Al, we better get going. We don't wanna keep the headmaster waiting.

"Brother," Alphonse said sounding mildly annoyed as Julliana made several distressed but muffled grunting noises.

"Oh fine," Ed declared clapping his hands again and putting them against the ground. The rock that bound Juliana unwound and returned into the ground, freeing the Class Chair, who fell to her knees.

"I personally liked her better the other way, but whatever. Let's go Al," Ed said as he continued towards the Campus building.

"Ummm, sorry about my brother. He's really quite nice once you get to know him," Al said apologetically to Juliana, "um excuse me." He bowed to the pink haired girl then chased after his older brother."

"Who was that guy?" Juliana asked in complete shock, "he couldn't have been… an Alchemist from the mother country, could he?"

**Lanseal Headmasters Office**

In his office, Lanseal Headmaster, Laurence Kluivert sat reading a very important letter he had received earlier that day. He jumped a bit when someone knocked on the door, but quickly called for them to come in. Edward and Alphonse Elric opened the door and entered the headmaster's office.

"Ahh welcome, you must be the ones I received this note from Colonel Mustang about. The State Alchemists who have been sent to assess the situation here in Galia. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Laurence Kluivert, headmaster of Lanseal academy," he said standing up from his desk and walking over to the Elric brothers, "and you must be the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. It's such a pleasure to finally get to meet you," he declared offering out his hand. The only problem… was that he offered his hand to Alphonse Elric! "I can certainly understand why you've earned the title of Fullmetal, what with a suit of armor like that."

"What? No, I'm not…" Alphonse began to protest but Ed cut him off.

"I'm Edward Elric! I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist!" Ed screamed waving his arms frantically.

"You?" the headmaster replied seeming taken aback, "but you're just a little kid."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PATHETIC LITTLE PIPSQUEAK!"

"What? I didn't…" the headmaster replied but then burst out laughing, "Ahh, the enthusiasm of youth. My apologies young Edward Elric, I meant no disrespect." Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound as a bell began to toll out in the main court.

"What terrible timing," the headmaster declared as his face turned grim, "my apologies Elric brothers. It seems that I will have to explain our situation to you at a later time. I will have you taken to your rooms now so you may rest."

"What do those bells mean?" Ed asked seriously.

"Headmaster," a man shouted bursting in, "the rebels are attacking a village just south of us! Though we aren't certain what they're up to, it seems that they are there to purge any and all citizens of Darcsen descent living in the village, and they have a tank with them."

"It seems we have no choice," the headmaster declared, "mobilize squads A, D, F, and G to attend to the problem."

"Brother, did you hear that? They have a tank with them," Alphonse declared.

"Squad A, huh. That big-mouthed girl we met earlier said she was the leader of that class. This should be interesting," Ed declared.

"My apologies Fullmetal Alchemist, but I'm afraid I have other duties that I must attend to. We'll have to finish our conversation at a later time," Kluivert declared.

"You're right, we will," Ed replied, "cause Al and I are headed to that village to stop this."

"That isn't necessary sir. You must be tired and…"

"We're here to assess your current situation, Headmaster," Ed declared cracking his neck, "now's as good a time as any. Besides, I'd be bored out of my mind if I just went and sat in my room all day. You can just leave this mess to us. Let's go Al," Ed ordered as the two headed out.

**Arlem Village**

**Two miles south of Lanseal academy**

"Keep up your attack!" a rebel soldier shouted, "don't allow a single Darcsen to escape."

A short distance away, a Darcsen man and woman hid in an alleyway with their little girl.

"We have to go, now," the father declared pushing his family in front of him. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out and the father stopped cold, then fell forward, a bullet have lodged itself in the back of his head. A rebel soldier stood at the entry to the alleyway. The woman stepped in front of her daughter as the man fired his rifle again, causing the mother to share her husband's fate. The woman lurched backwards, then fell forward over her husband's body. Frightened and uncertain of what had just happened, the little Darcsen girl knelt on the ground and began to cry uncontrollably, clutching a little doll with long blue hair.

"What do we have here?" the rebel demanded walking to the girl and yanking the doll from her trembling grip. The child whined in protect, but then shied away from the man who had taken her toy.

"Blue hair… and the design of the outfit… you Darcsen mongrel. This doll is meant to resemble one of the holy Valkyria. The man reached into his holster for his side arm, which he pointed at the child. "Darcsen scum like you has no right to possess anything in the image of the holy ones. Do the world a favor and just die!" the man shouted beginning to squeeze the trigger.

"Nice speech, but I think, you need to reconsider which one of you is the real scum!" a voice shouted from behind him. Edward Elric stepped between the rebel and the child and put his right hand over the barrel of the pistol. The man was startled and fired, causing the bullet to ricochet off of Ed's automail hand and back into the chamber. The pistol blew up in the man's hand, blowing shrapnel from the weapon into the man's hand and face. The man yelled with agony, then fell back, clutching his face. Ed clapped his hands together and used Alchemy to transmute a sheet of earth over the man, pinning him to the ground.

"You just sit there and think about what you were about to do until I come back," Ed ordered as he walked over and picked up the child's doll. Alphonse approached him from behind carrying the child. When the little girl saw her doll, she began frantically reaching for it until Ed gave it to her, then she clutched it tightly in her arms and began to sob.

"Brother… are these… Darcsens?" Al asked looking at the girl and her dead parents.

"I don't get it. I was expecting something similar to Ishvalans, but they don't look any different from us," Ed said kneeling down next to the parents. He was surprised when the mother shuddered when he touch her. "She's alive, Al take her to the medical tent, hurry!" Ed ordered.

"What about the dad?" Al asked.

"I think he probably died instantly. Hurry Al! If they can save her… we might be able to save the kid from becoming an orphan," Ed ordered again turning and walking towards the alley exit.

"What're you gonna do?" Al asked picking up the woman.

"What do you think I'm gonna do. I'm gonna stop these rebels in their tracks," Ed declared stepping out into the open. The village was a small, grassy one, and found himself standing on a hill have emerged from between two barns. Below the hill, several Lanseal cadets were pressed up against sandbags taking cover from the advancing enemy. A rebel soldier carrying a large sword and tower shield was approaching a barricade that a young girl with long, dark colored hair was hiding behind. She was frantically firing upon the man with a machine gun, but he was blocking all of her bullets with his shield as he continued to advance.

"Dark hair… I wonder if she's one of these Darcsen's too. As far as I can tell, that's the only thing that really distinguishes these Darcsen's apart. Not a very big difference, which means these rebels probably can't tell them apart from normal people with darker hair either. Makes me glad my hair is blonde!" he shouted clapping his hands together and rushing to the aid of the Lanseal cadet. He put his hand against the metal wall of a barn and produced a spear from the wall as he pulled away from it. Twirling the spear, he leapt over the sandbags and knocked the encroaching swordsman's shield away. The swordsman's eyes lit up with surprise as his shield flew from his grasp. Ed moved to the left to knock away the sword next, but as he did, the girl pulled the trigger on her sub-machine gun, placing three bullets into the body of the swordsman. He crumpled to the ground, instantly killed.

"Hey! Watch it! You could have shot me!" Ed shouted looking around, "look out, he shouted in surprise. Diving behind the sandbags and tackling the girl as a rebel began firing on them with a machine gun of his own.

"Phew, thank you very much," the girl said, "I'm Marion Siegbahn of Squad G."

"Marion, got it," Ed replied, "hey, sorry to ask, but are you one of these Darcsen guys?"

"What? Me, a Darcsen? Of course not? Why would you even think something like that?" Marion replied sounding insulted.

"Hey, don't start with me. I can't see any difference between a regular, dark haired person like you and one of these Darcsens! I was just checking," Ed shouted irately.

"Darcsen's don't have last names," Marion replied, "their last names were taken from them long ago as punishment for their sins."

"Yeah, whatever… look I don't really care about any of that right now. You can rant about what Darcsen's do and don't have later. Right now, we have enemies in front of us to deal with. Who's in command?"

"Command? Oh, right, that would be our class chair, Avan Hardins. He's the red haired boy at the front," Marion replied pointing to the front most sandbag barricade where two young men, the red haired boy, Avan, and another dark haired boy, were firing at the advancing enemies.

"Another dark haired kid," Ed said, "so is that one a Darcsen?"

"Yes. His name is Zeri. He's new to our battalion. They're always putting the Darcsens in with Class…"

"Like I said, you can rant later. I've got work to do now!" Ed declared clapping his hands together again, but first we need to get past that machine gunner, which means we're gonna need some mobile cover," he said putting his hand against the spear he'd made and transmuting a thin shield.

"That won't work, I need something more sturdy… oh right. How could I forget?" he asked out loud as he spotted the swordsman's shield lying a short distance away. He clapped his hands and transmuted several spikes along the ground, the final one of which hooked under the shield and flipped upwards, launching the shield to Edward who took cover behind it before charging at the man who was still shooting at them. The bullets all ricocheted harmlessly off of the shield and when Ed reached the man, he knocked the gun to the side with his shield before transmuting the weapon into a small, metal ball with a small wooden chunk that poked from the ball like the single loose strand of hair on the top of Ed's head. A ridiculous face stared up at the terrified gunman who dropped the ball, turn, and ran.

"And don't come back!" Ed shouted as Marion moved up next to him, "Alright, I think I've had enough fun." He quickly glanced over the battlefield below. The rebel troops were quickly approaching the barricade where the squad commander and the Darcsen were still firing, trying desperately to hold them back. "I'd better end this or someone's gonna get hurt, you know… other then the rebels. ATTENTION REBELS!" he shouted suddenly, causing Marion's eyes to light up with fear and surprise.

"You idiot, what are you doing!" she shouted as all the rebels below looked up at the two of them.

"Hey Zeri, who's that guy with Marion?" Avan asked looking up and spotting the Fullmetal alchemist.

"I don't know, but he's going to get himself killed," Zeri replied glaring up.

"ALRIGHT, REBELS, THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING! RETREAT NOW OR YOU'RE GONNA GET HURT!"

"You're kidding right," one of the rebel soldiers said as they all started laughing.

"This must be a joke. He's just a little ki… ahhh!" he was cut off as the metal ball that had once been the other soldier's gun slammed into his head, knocking him unconscious.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A PUNY LITTLE RUNT, SO SMALL YOU JUST WANNA CRUSH HIM UNDER YOUR FOOT LIKE A PATHETIC LITTLE COCKROACH!" Ed shouted flailing his arms around angrily, "THAT DOES IT! NOW YOU DON'T GET TO RUN AWAY!"

"What are you talking about?" Marion asked, "no one said anything about pathetic little cockroaches." Ed clapped his hands together and slammed them into the ground, transmuting a massive cannon. Marion backed up and fell over backwards looking up at the massive weapon that Ed was now sitting upon. The rebels certainly weren't laughing anymore. They were to busy scrambling frantically to get away from the enraged alchemist.

"I'll show you short!" Ed shouted as the giant cannonball unleashed a barrage of cannonballs that all looked just like the small ball Ed had transmuted from the rebels machine gun at the frantic rebel soldiers.


	2. Chapter 2

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALIA

Episode 2:

REASON FOR WAR

The Bomb Alchemist

**Opening Theme: HOLOGRAM (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)**

"Fall back! We can't get through" a Lanseal cadet shouted beginning to retreat.

"No! Stand your ground! We hold the line here!" another dark haired boy shouted. This boy was the class chair and commanding officer of Lanseal Class D, "there's only one man! We must get through!" he shouted turning around. A man with long black hair stood before him. His hair covered the left side of his face, but the right side was covered with scars and he wore a long, brown cloak. His hands were covered by thick metal gauntlets that had a strange circle etched into the back of them. The circle began to glow as a metal blade extended from the gloves, which he then used to run the class chair through the heart!

"Darcsen slime, be gone!" he shouted as the circle began to glow again. The boy's face became disfigured and the man pulled his blade out and jumped back.

"Commander! Are you alright!" another cadet shouted. Suddenly, the boy's body began to expand and he violently exploded **(A.N.: I know it's coming so I'll say this now, this is not Kimbley, a.k.a. The Crimson Alchemist. If Kimbley appears in this fanfiction, it'll be his Brotherhood version so he won't use Bomb Alchemy.).**

"You shouldn't concern yourself with the likes of him. The only good Darcsen is a dead Darcsen after all," the alchemist declared turning his attention to the rest of Squad D. The foremost cadets backed away fearfully as their foe moved quickly towards them.

…

Back at the village outskirts, a very confused Class G looked down in amazement at the massive collection of unconscious rebel soldiers laying among destroyed earth and cannon balls.

"That'll teach you to call me short," Ed declared folding his arms.

"Wow, talk about a short temper…" Marion gasped. As soon as she said it, her eyes lit up with fear and she quickly covered her mouth and glared over at Ed. She shrieked and fell over backwards as the Fullmetal Alchemist glared angrily at her.

"Don't call me short!" he shouted.

"Brother!" Al called from the top of the hill. He ran down and joined his brother. "Good news, Brother. I left that Darcsen woman with the medics and they said she's going to be okay."

"Good work, Al!" Ed said, "I've pretty much wrapped things up here, let's head into the town."

"Avan do you notice anything?" Zeri asked.

"You mean besides how that little guy up there just blew away an entire squad of rebel soldiers with a giant cannon?" Avan asked, "Yeah Zeri, I definitely noticed that."

"What? No, that's not what I meant. Look at those rebel soldiers," Zeri said as Avan looked over them, "they're all still moving and breathing. In all that, that 'little guy' didn't kill a single soldier."

"Yeah, you're right," Avan said looking over the soldiers, "wow, gotta admit, that guy is pretty cool. Come on, we should thank him." 

"Umm, Avan, what should we do with all those injured soldiers?" a cute blonde girl asked approaching Avan and Zeri.

"Oh, hey Cosette, glad to see you're okay. Huh, good question. We'll tell Brixy to send someone to arrest 'em I guess," Avan replied.

"Alright, Al, let's go end this battle," Ed ordered turning towards the main town of Arlem.

"Right behind you Brother."

"Hey, wait up!" Avan shouted which caused Ed and Al to turn and face him, "that was awesome little guy! Where'd you learn to do that?"

"Who're you calling a pathetic little pipsqueak!" Ed shouted tackling Avan.

"Brother! Stop it, uhhh, oh no," Al sighed.

"Honestly, what did you do Avan?" Zeri asked shaking his head. For the first time, Alphonse got a close look at the man. He had dark hair and wore glasses over his equally dark eyes. On his shoulder, he wore a bandana with strange markings over the left shoulder of his Lanseal uniform.

"I saw those markings on the dress of the Darcsen woman Brother and I helped. Does that mean that you're a Darcsen too?" Al asked.

"Hmm, that's right. Why do you ask?" Zeri demanded.

"Maybe you can tell me then, why do these rebels hate you so much?" Al continued.

"What, are you telling me you don't know?" Zeri asked, obviously surprised by Al's remarks.

"Huh, no, why should I?" Al asked.

"Interesting?" Zeri replied, "who are you two anyway?"

"Huh… oh right!" Al exclaimed, "uhhh, I'm Alphonse. Alphonse Elric and this is my big brother Edward." Al and Zeri both looked down at Ed who was shaking Avan angrily. Al gasped when he saw that Avan's face was beginning to turn blue! "Brother! Stop or you'll kill him!"

"Avan!" Cosette shouted, "Avan say something to me!"

"You... you're the big brother," Avan asked as Ed pulled away from him, "I don't get it, shouldn't you be taller then?"

"AVAN!" Cosette exclaimed.

"What the heck! You got a death wish or something! Let me go Al, he called me a pathetic little shrimp!" Ed shouted.

"Brother, stop, you'll kill him!" Al pleaded again.

A short distance away, Marion stood rubbing the back of her head as another girl from Squad G approached them.

"What's going on here?" the girl asked.

"Umm, I have no idea," Marion replied.

….

"I see," Zeri said when everyone had calm down and Ed and Al had told them who they were, "so you two are from Amestris. So the mother country finally decided to help out us insignificant Gallians."

"What're you talking about, finally?" Ed asked, "From what I was told, this civil war hasn't been going on for more than a month, though from what I've heard, the rebel army has done a pretty good job pushing the Gallian army around. They've already taken the better part of southern Gallia, right? Where the heck do you get off on blaming us, seems to me your military just isn't that strong to have lost all this ground in only a month."

"Ed, you don't understand," Cosette said sadly, "see this is the second war our country has suffered in just two years."

"The second war? I never heard anything about Galia being in another war," Ed said.

"Of course you didn't," Zeri said irately, "that's because your leaders in Amestris left us to die like dogs. Our leaders at the time pled desperately with the so-called 'mother country' for help, and they ignored us! Treated us like we were nothing!"

"So many people… my parents… how could they just abandon us like that!" Cosette asked slumping to the ground and hugging her knees. Ed could hear her sobbing and looked away.

"Our army was decimated. It's a miracle that any of us survived," Zeri said, "but we did. We got through on our own, and we don't need your help now, State Alchemist! So why don't you just go back to where you came from!"

"Avan," a voice called from a communicator on Avan's shoulder, "Avan, can you hear me? Come in!"

"That you Brixy? I was just about to call you. We've got a bunch of unconscious enemy soldiers here. I was hoping you could send someone to round them up," Avan said grabbing the communicator and speaking into it.

"That can wait Avan. We have a problem. Squad D has come under fierce assault from an unidentified enemy soldier using powerful explosives. Squad G is to move to the western base camp to give immediate support," Brixy replied from the communicator.

"Hold on… enemy **soldier? **As in only one?" Zeri asked.

"That's how it seems Zeri. Use extreme caution! Squad G, move out!" Brix replied as the communicator turned off.

"You heard him guys, let's go!" Avan ordered as Squad G prepared to move out.

"Brother, did you hear that. One man is taking down an entire squad of Lanseal's soldiers," Al said.

"I heard," Ed replied, "let's go Al."

"Don't bother," Zeri replied coldly, "we Gallians will handle this by ourselves. Just like we always have."

"What the heck is your problem, pal!" Ed shouted, "look I don't know what happened two years ago and I don't care! I'm here to help!"

"That's right… we're…" Al began but Zeri cut him off as Squad G began to leave.

"Save it. We didn't need your help against the Imperial Alliance and we certainly don't need your help against these rebels," Zeri replied coldly. Ed clenched his fist tightly as his whole body began to shake with anger.

"Brother, what do we do?" Al asked looking down at his brother.

"We do what we came here to do, Al. We stop this."

….

A Squad D shocktrooper fired desperately upon the advancing figure with his sub-machine gun, but the man easily ran through and around his gun fire, running the cadet through the stomach before causing him to explode. The mysterious black haired man looked up the hill before him. At the top of the hill, the western command post of the Lanseal army stood. Once he took it, Lanseal's Squad D would lose its chain of command, making them easy pickings for him.

"Ah, I can hardly wait. All these foolish young traitors, so young and full of life. I can't wait to make them all go boom!" the man shouted as he began to laugh maniacally. At the top of the hill, Avan Hardins and his squad had just arrived. The remnants of Squad D had fallen back to the Command Post and waited for their assailant to come into view.

"This is bad. How can one guy have done all of this!" Avan shouted, "Cosette, tend to the wounded Squad D members!"

"Hardin's," a class D member shouted, "we… we have to stop him, we can't let him reach the Command Post!"

"Don't worry, I know that," Avan replied giving the frightened cadet a reassuring thumbs up.

"No, you don't understand. He'll kill us. He'll kill every last one of us if he reaches us!" the cadet declared beginning to shake with fear, "he killed the class chair… he killed so many of the others… they… they just exploded! It was terrible."

"Get a hold of yourself!" Zeri ordered, "what do you mean he killed the class chair!"

"Commander Zegren. He… he stabbed him with a strange weapon and then… the commander just exploded," the frightened cadet said, shaking even harder.

"No, that can't be. Zegren's dead?" Zeri said shaking his head.

"Zeri, you alright," Avan asked.

"Zegren was the only Darcsen class chair at all of Lanseal. I'll make that man pay for what he's done," Zeri replied as he readied his sub-machine gun.

"Sounds good to me," Avan said loading his rifle, "let's take him down." Squad G lined up in defensive positions all down the hill leading up to the base camp. At the bottom of the hill, six brave cadets stood ready, carrying large shields. Three of them carried large swords in their other hand while the remaining ones carried hammers. Just above them, where they could fire on the enemy below without hitting their comrades, Avan, Zeri, Cosette, and two other cadets armed with Sub-machine guns knelt behind sand bags. The remaining squad members dotted the hill, hiding behind sand bags and in tall grass while at the top, a lone boy carrying a large Sniper rifle stood overlooking the town below.

"Nichol! You see anything!" Avan shouted.

"Umm… I'm sorry sir, nothing yet," the brown haired boy replied timidly, "I promise, I'll… hold on. He's coming!" the boy said suddenly as he shouldered his sniper rifle. Sure enough, no sooner had Nichol warned them that the man with the long black hair appeared. The transmutation circles on both his gauntlets began to glow and his gauntlets were both transmuted into long, sharp blades.

"More traitorous children for me to blow up. How fortunate for me. I was beginning to get bored!" the man shouted.

"What the heck… he's charging right in!" Avan shouted, "but I thought they said he was using explosives!"

"No, they said he was blowing up the other cadets! He's must have turned them into bombs!" Zeri suddenly realized, "Avan, that man is using Alchemy!"

"Not good!" Avan said shouting up to a cute red haired girl holding a giant lance, "Colleen! Take him down now!"

"Yes sir!" Colleen replied holding up her lance and pointing it at the man. She pushed a button on the lances hilt and fired an anti-tank mortar from the lances tip directly at the charging man below. The man leapt sideways, easily dodging the mortar and continued his charge. The girl tried twice more, but to the same result!

"I can't hit him! He's too fast!" she shouted back down to Avan!

"Darn it! Everyone, take that guy down, now!" Avan ordered shouldering his rifle and opening fire. Zeri, Cosette, and the remaining members of Squad G began to fire their weapons.

"Noel! I need ammo!" Colleen shouted to another girl. She had short black hair which she wore a small white hat over. Like Colleen, she was also carrying an Anti-tank Lance.

"Here, I have extra!" another lancer, a burly boy with short brown hair called tossing Colleen ammo.

"Thank's Reiner!" Colleen shouted reloading her weapon.

"Not bad, these kids have talent," the man said raising a barrier of earth to absorb the gunfire, "but they don't have enough to stop the me! Hear me traitors!" he shouted. Avan stopped firing for a moment in order to hear him. "You stand in the presence of the future of Gallia! I shall now grant you the privilege of knowing who it is who shall end your lives! I am the first State Alchemist of the independent country of Gallia! I am the first of the weapons that true Gallians will use to clense our land of all invaders, be they Darcsen, Imperial, or even Amestrian. You may call me the Bomb Alchemist!"

"Here he comes!" one of the sword wielders, a young silver haired girl said calmly as she readied her sword.

"Ah man, I always knew I had the worst luck," another swordsman, a boy wearing a hat that covered his hair and ears, declared. Suddenly, the earth wall blew apart and the Bomb Alchemist erupted from it, charging the silver haired girl who barely managed to raise her shield in time to deflect his blade.

"Good move, kid. I can't turn your shield into an explosive, but that doesn't mean you aren't dead, little girl. See, by using Alchemy to compress and heat the air around you," he said as his transmutation circle began to glow, "I'll just blow you up the old fashioned way!" Sure enough, the air around the girl heated quickly and then exploded, catching the girl in the explosion.

"No, Alexis!" Avan shouted.

"How unfortunate. She wasn't much fun to kill at all," the Bomb Alchemist declared.

"Be careful who you call dead," the girl's voice said from the smoke. When the smoke cleared, the girl had lost her shield, but she was alright.

"Interesting, tell me, how did you survive that blast from point blank range?" the bomb alchemist asked.

"It's not that complicated. I'm an Armored Tech. Our job on the battle field is to disarm landmines and protect our allies from enemy fire. That shield you struck was strong enough to protect me from a tank blast. Your pathetic 'bomb' was nothing," Alexis replied.

"I see, but now that you have lost your shield, it won't take long at all for me to kill you now."

"I didn't lose it. I didn't need it anymore so I dropped it. Just defending against you won't do me any good, so I'll be a lot better off if I can hold my sword with both hands!" Alexis shouted charging at the Bomb Alchemist with her sword raised. She swung it at him, but he deflected it with his blade, forcing Alexis to jump back in order to evade allowing him to use his Bomb Alchemy again.

"Avan, what do we do!" Cosette shouted.

"He's too close to our techs. We can't shoot at him without risking hitting one of them," Avan replied, "this is bad. How'd we let him get so close to us!"

Alexis ducked under a swipe attack and charged, stabbing her blade towards the alchemists stomach, but he side stepped and put his hand against her sword. His transmutation circle began to glow and Alexis' sword snapped in half.

"No!" she shouted stepping back.

"It's been fun, good bye!" he shouted stabbing for her stomach. Just then, a gun shot rang out and the alchemist had to pull his blade away from Alexis to block the shot. Up at the top of the hill, Nichol quickly cocked his rifle and prepared to take another shot.

"Annoying little fools! Fine, I'll just deal with you first!" the Bomb Alchemist shouted placing his hand against the ground. His transmutation circles began glowing again, and the ground beneath him began to extend, carrying him up the hill while keeping him out of the path of Squad G's fire!

"Nichol! Look out!" a girl with short hair that was the same color as Nichol's shouted opening fire on the moving earth. When she realized it was having no effect, she took up off the hill towards her brother.

"Franca! Wait!" Coleen shouted as the girl took off. At the top of the hill, Nichol watched in terror as the pillar rose above him.

"Congratulations boy, you're going to be the first to die!" the Bomb Alchemist shouted jumping from the pillar and lunging at Nichol with his blade raised to strike.

"Nichol!" Franca screamed as the Bomb Alchemist stabbed his blade towards her little brother. There was a loud clanging noise, like steel clanging against steel, and something exploded. Avan and the others stared up the hill in disbelief.

"Nichol…" Franca gasped beginning to shake, "NICHOOOLLLLL!"

"Well now you've done it," a familiar voice said from the smoke. The smoke cleared to reveal that the Bomb Alchemist had been knocked back into his own earth trail. Nichol stood unharmed, shielded from the blast by Alphonse Elric. Edward stood in front of Al. His red coat had been blown off to reveal his Automail arm. "You ruined my coat!"

"What the… an automail right arm… and I'm certain I saw you use Alchemy," the Bomb Alchemist stuttered. His eyes showed surprise and terror when he spotted Ed's silver watch. "You're an Amestrian State Alchemist! But… that's impossible… and Amestrian State Alchemist with an Automail right arm… don't tell me… you're… you're…!"

"You got that right pal. I'm the one and only Edward Elric!" Ed said proudly pointing his thumb at himself, "the Fullmetal Alchemist!"


	3. Chapter 3

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 3

THE REASON HE FIGHTS

Fullmetal vs Bomb

**Opening Theme: Hologram (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)**

Alphonse helped young Nichol to his feet. "Are you okay?" he asked as Nichol shook his head.

"I think so… I'm sorry, thank you," Nichol said rather timidly.

"Huh? No, you don't need to apologize, it's fine, really. I'm just glad you're okay," Al replied.

"He won't be for long!" the Bomb Alchemist declared smiling wickedly as he pointed as blade at Alphonse, "he'll die, you'll die, you'll all die! I don't know what Amestrian filth like you is doing in Gallia, but you cannot oppose us. We are the Gallian Revolutionary army! We will overthrow the corrupt banner of Amestris and estabilish the free nation of Gallia!

"You'd try to free your country by killing anyone who gets in your way!" Ed exclaimed, "that's pathetic." Clapping his hands together and placing them against the ground, Ed used the ground beneath him to transmute his trademark spear and brandished it against the Bomb Alchemist.

"Any who opposes us are traitors to the New Gallia and deserve death!" the Bomb Alchemist replied as he charged against Edward. He swung his blade, which Ed deflected with his spear. The two exchanged blows for a bit, Bomb attacking savagely, while Ed nimbly deflected and dodged the attack. The Bomb alchemist moved in for a stab attack which Ed knocked off to the side before spinning behind the bomb alchemist and slamming him into the ground, pinning his arm out with the butt of the spear and clapping his hands.

"Let's see you transmute without your circle!" he said grabbing the Bomb Alchemist's glove and transmuting it into the same type of Ed head ball he'd made the enemy soldiers gun earlier. Then he jumped back and prepared to fight once again.

"Now that you only have one, this'll be easy," Ed declared pointing the spear at the rising Bomb Alchemist.

"Darn it. You can't be stronger than me. There's no way!" He smiled wickedly and looked back at Nichol and Al, who had just been joined by Franca who was hovering worriedly over her younger brother. Turning, he charged at the two Class G members.

"Hey! Wait!" Ed shouted. Franca looked up to see what was going on and quickly moved to shield her brother.

"I'll kill you two first, then I'll kill the rest of you!" he shouted stabbing for Franca's head. Reacting quickly, Alphonse stepped in front of Franca, taking the blade through his heart. Al slumped forward as Franca and Nichol watched in disbelief. "Oh, so you want to die first do you, that's fine with me!"

"Al!" Ed shouted as Alphonse's helmet fell off. The Bomb Alchemist's eyes widened with fear when he saw inside the armor, and he quickly pulled his blade away and backed up several steps.

"Wha… what is this!" he shouted, "this armor… THIS ARMOR IS EMPTY!"

"What…" Franca stuttered as Alphonse stooped down, picked up his head, and put it back on as though nothing had happened.

"I'm not that easy to kill," he declared glaring at the Bomb Alchemist who suddenly burst out laughing.

"Ah hahaha! I get it now. A hollow suit of armor and an automail arm. You little fools. You actually did it, didn't you? You preformed alchemy's one unforgivable sin!"

"Unforgiveable… sin?" Nichol repeated, "what do you mean?"

"Ahhh, this is great. Take a good look at your heroes, kids. This is what happens to those who attempt to play god. These fools attempted Human Transmutation! They attempted to use their power to create a living human being!"

"A… living human being?" Avan repeated.

"I've heard of this. It's known as Human Transmutation, and according to what I've read, it is said to be the ultimate taboo. The unforgiveable sin of Alchemy," Zeri declared, "could these two really have…"

"It's not like that…" Al said saidly, "we just…" painful memories of Ed and Al's childhood played in Al's mind, and Avan thought for sure that it sounded as though he was crying, despite having no eyes to shed tears, "we just wanted to…"

"Quiet Al," Ed said calmly. He glared at the Bomb Alchemist with cold and enraged eyes, "some thing's…" he said clapping his hands and transmuting his automail arm into a blade, "ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID!" he shouted charging at the bomb alchemist. The Bomb Alchemist tried to back away from the charging Fullmetal, but backed right into Alphonse who slammed his fist right into the evil Alchemists stomach. He recovered in time to raise his blade, but it was knocked away by Edward's automail blade, and Ed slammed his left hand into the Bomb Alchemist's cheek. This time, it was Al who clapped his hands and put them against the ground, transmuting two large pillars of earth on either side of the bomb alchemist. Several pillars of rock shot from the other two towers and slammed into the Bomb Alchemist from both sides, pinning him between them and leaving his Alchemy glove extended and defenseless for Edward to deconstruct and destroy. The Bomb Alchemist watched in utter terror as his gauntlet just completely disintegrated.

"You… you stopped at the deconstruction phase… how did…" Bomb stuttered.

"Now that you can't use Alchemy, that ought to hold you for a while. I'm sure the Gallian military will have a ton of questions they'll wanna ask you," Ed declared coldly.

"Wow… hey, not bad little guy!" Avan's voice suddenly called out. The transmuted Ed head gauntlet suddenly slammed into his head, knocking him to the ground.

"I told you not to call me little!" Ed shouted angrily.

"Now that he's taken care of, all that's left is the enemy's tank," Zeri declared looking down into the town, "but I have no idea how we're going to handle this."

"Just leave it to the useless Amestrian's," Ed replied teasingly, "we'll handle this."

….

In a field in the center of town, the pink haired girl Ed and Al had encountered earlier ducked behind a sand bag barricade, evading the machine gun fire of the enemy tank.

"Julianna! They have us pinned down!" a squad A girl who was hiding next to her whined, tears beginning to form in her eyes, and for good reason. Blood dripped from a deep cut in her leg and Julianna knew she wouldn't be able to retreat.

"Darn it. How do we destroy that thing in the state we're in now?" Julianna wondered aloud as the Machine Gun fire continued above her. Suddenly, the fire stopped. Julianna looked up to see a large man wearing a suit of armor approaching them! The tank fire soon resumed, concentrating all fire on the man. The bullets bounced off of the armor, and the man simply continued to move towards them. When he reached them, he knelt down behind the sand bags with them.

"You… your that man from this morning!" Julianna realized.

"Oh yeah, you! I'm glad to see you're okay, Julianna," Alphonse replied.

"Please…" the other girl whined, "I don't want to die here."

"Get a hold of yourself," Julianna shouted angrily, "we're not going to die here!"

"Al, let me out," Ed's voice suddenly said from inside Alphonse causing the other girl and even Julianna to shriek.

"Brother, are you…"

"Just let me out," Ed repeated. Al pulled off his helmet and Ed slipped out.

"Hurry," Ed said grabbing the frightened girl's hand, "get in." She was hesitant at first, but then allowed Ed and Al to help her inside the armor.

"That… armor… there's no one inside it!" Julianna exclaimed.

"Very perceptive, now get in," Ed said mockingly grabbing Julianna's hand next. Julianna froze for a second when Ed touched her and blushed, then shrieked, pulled her hand away, and slapped him.

"Don't you touch me! I am an elite soldier and the commander of the elite Class A. I'm not going to run away from this. Just get my wounded soldier out of here."

"Whatever," Ed declared rubbing his injured cheek, "see if I care if you get killed. Al, you know what to do."

"Right Brother," Al replied standing up and walking away, the tank fire deflecting off of him just like before.

"Now for the tank," Ed declared clapping his hands and transmuting a tunnel into the ground.

"What're you doing!" Julianna shouted as Ed crawled into the tunnel.

"Just stay here and wait," Ed ordered sealing the tunnel behind himself.

"What… ahh, darn little runt," Julianna shouted.

"I heard that!" Ed's muffled voice came from where the tunnel had been.

"Now what do I do?" Julianna wondered aloud. Suddenly, the tank fire stopped. Julianna looked all around herself to try to figure out why they had stopped firing. Finally, she stuck her head above the sand bags. Her eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open with surprise. "What in the…!" The tank (well the front of it at least) now stuck up out of a deep hole. Ed stood at the top of the hole getting ready to preform alchemy on the tracks, which he then transmuted into Ed heads.

"Well, that takes care of that," he said walking past the still dumbstruck, open mouthed Julianna. He stopped, smiled cheekily, and hopped back, putting his finger against Julianna's chin, pushing her mouth closed before moving on. Julianna was speechless for a few more seconds, and then her whole body began to shake from anger and frustration.

"Just who in the heck do you think you are!" she shouted at the departing Fullmetal Alchemist, "you annoying little…" she didn't get to finish her sentence as a small rock suddenly hit her in the forehead, causing her to step backwards. She rubbed her forehead and looked up at Ed who was looking back at her, though he was still smiling.

"Don't call me little! I'm Edward Elric, and from now on… you can just call me the hero of Gallia!"

"The… hero of Gallia?" Jullianna repeated, "what do you mean!"

"That's easy. I'm the guy who's gonna stop this Gallian Revolutionary army and end this war," Ed revealed.


	4. Chapter 4

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 4

A NEW MISSION

Enter Raging Blast

**Opening Theme: Hologram (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)**

In Central City, Amestris, in the office of Fuhur King Bradley, Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, had just arrived from his post in the east. He had come to personally report the findings of Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric to the Fuhur.

"Ah, Colonel Mustang. How interesting, I was just about to call you," King Bradley revealed as Colonel Mustang entered his office, "so, are you here to report on the Elrics trip to Gallia.

"Yes sir, we just received word from Fullmetal and his brother. The rumors of a Gallian uprising appear to be true. A rag tag team of rebels who call themselves the Gallian Revolutionary Army have begun to attempt to overthrow not only Archduchess Cordelia Randgriz, but also to overthrow Amestrian control of the area. For the most part, the rebels are poorly equipped and even more poorly trained. Mostly foolish men drivin by hatred and bigotry. Worth mentioning, though, that the Revolutionary army is being led by none other than Count Gilbert Gassenarl."

"Gassenarl? Who would have thought that old fool would be stirring up trouble after all these years. He himself is nothing to worry about, but those two kids of his… they're a different story. What were their names again?" Bradley asked looking contemplative.

"Baldren and Audrey Gassenarl," Colonel Mustang revealed, "Baldren has been known to be a little bit hotheaded and is also known to be very anti-Amestrian and anti-Darcsen. It's no surprise that he would sign right on to his father's made scheme, if it gave him a chance to purge Gallia of those he considers to be its invaders. Audrey Gassenarl is different though. At the age of 25, she's already proven herself as a capable armored division commander and served both Gallia and Amestris loyally in the war with the Imperial Alliance three years ago."

"Gassenarl," King Bradley repeated the name rather distastefully, "now I remember. He's that foolish windbag who wanted to be made Archduke in place of Archduchess Cordelia's late parents. Colonel Mustang, I'm certain I don't need to tell you that resolving the issue in Gallia needs to be made our highest priority. Gilbert Gassenarl must be stopped at any costs."

"Well then, Fuher, sir. I'll personally lead a team to Gallia to deal with the situation," Colonel Mustang declared.

"Hmmm, interesting. With you there, we'll have two of the most famous heroes of the Ishvallan civil war in Gallia. That certainly would be a rather intimidating prospect for Count Gassenarl," King Bradley declared chuckling a bit.

"Two, sir?" Colonel Mustang asked, obviously confused.

"Oh yes, see Fullmetal is not the only State Alchemist currently in Gallia. The second one is a Gallian resident by birth, and he also happens to be a Darcsen. Turns out he knew Archduchess Cordelia when the two of them were only children, and when he discovered the trouble she was in, he begged to be given leave to personally protect her. In fact, unless I'm mistaken, he will be arriving at Lanseal Academy today, so he'll probably meet with Fullmetal there.

"A Darcsen State Alchemist? Well, this interesting. You wouldn't by chance be reffering to him, would you?" Colonel Mustang asked.

"I am," Bradly replied, "Colonel Vine, the Raging Blast Alchemist."

Hundreds of miles away, at Lanseal Military Academy, Edward and Alphonse Elric were joining their new friends from Squad G on the Lanseal drill grounds for a game of soccer. Due to his size, Al had quickly been chosen to be his team's goalie, and how he faced Avan who was charging at him to try to score the game's first goal!

"Get ready, Alphonse!" Avan shouted, "here it comes!" Pulling his foot back, he kicked forward and launched the ball at Alphonse.

"Rahhh!" Alphonse roared swinging his hand and smacking the ball back the way it had come. Exactly the way it had come. The ball whistled under Avan's foot just as the class chair came down, causing him to lose his footing and fall flat on his back.

"Owww!" Avan shouted as he crashed down, "ahhh, heh, nice block Alphonse," he said sitting up and rubbing his back.

"Sorry Avan," Al said running over and helping the class chair back to his feet.

"Alphonse! Don't leave your post!" a thin, orange haired girl named Rene shouted as Ed suddenly shot past Alphonse heading for the goal.

"Hahaha! Got ya now Al!" Ed shouted charging towards the unprotected goal.

"No you don't Elric!" Rene shouted charging in and sliding in front of Ed, knocking the ball away and causing him to trip and slam headfirst into the goal post.

"Brother!" Alphonse shouted running to his brother's side and shaking him roughly, "Brother, are you alright!"

"Hey, come on, say something Elric!" Rene shouted running to Ed and shaking him violently, "don't tell me I killed him."

"Uhhhh… just let me sleep a few more minutes, Winry…" Ed said in a dazed voice as they rolled him over.

"Oh good," Rene said standing up and rubbing the back of her head, "he's alright."

"There you guys are!" Cosette shouted running up to the drill grounds, "Avan, Professor Brixham wants to see you! He says it's important!" Cosette revealed noticing the soccer ball, "hey, how come no one invited me to play?"

"You can play with us when we get back. You can take her place, she's too violent," Ed declared kneeling up and pointing at Rene while rubbing his nose.

"Hey! What was that, you short little runt!" Rene shouted kicking the soccer ball into the back of Ed's head.

"Who you calling a runt, man woman!"

"Puny little pipsqueak!"

"Troll!"

"Brother, enough!" Al suddenly shouted stepping in to break up Ed and Rene who were about to begin brawling. Unfortunately, Alphonse only ended up getting dragged into the brawl as Rene and Ed went at it.

"Oh boy," Avan sighed, "well, I better go see what Brixy wants."

….

A few minutes later, both Avan and Zeri arrived at the Lanseal briefing room.

"Zeri, you're here too?" Avan asked.

"Cosette came and got me just before she left to look for you," Zeri replied, "I have a feeling that whatever the professor wants, it must be important."

"Ah man, I've got a bad feeling about this," Avan declared as he opened the door and the classmates stepped in. Professor Brixham was waiting for them. "You wanted to talk to us, Brixy?"

"Ah, Avan, Zeri. Yes, I have orders for you," Brixy revealed, "we have a VIP arriving at Lanseal very soon. This person is on her way to visit a settlement just to the south of us. They have requested that an armed escort be assigned to her armored vehicle and that request has fallen to Squad G. You will be given the task of escorting this person to her destination. We will also be providing her with an Armored Personnel Carrier, so Ms. Lavinia Lane will be the pilot for this mission."

"A VIP escort? Professor, is Squad G really ready for such an important mission?" Zeri asked, "as much as the Squad has improved these last few months, we don't know what the rebels might throw at us on a mission like this. I don't think they're ready."

"You make a good point Zeri, however as soldiers of Lanseal, it is your responsibility to ensure the safe transport of this person to her destination, regardless of costs. It is unlikely that every member of the squad will return from this alive, but that is the burden we bear as soldiers of Gallia. Of course, we may be able to lessen that risk substantially by taking the Fullmetal Alchemist with us, and… there is another State Alchemist who has been assigned as this person's personal bodyguard. You'll like this Alchemist, Zeri. Not only was he born and raised in Gallia, but he's even a Darcsen," Brixy revealed.

"A Darcsen State Alchemist?" Zeri repeated, sounding a little shocked, "are you sure."

"Certain. He'll be arriving with the VIP in only a few minutes. I've already sent orders to Ms. Lane in research and development to begin preparing the APC for this mission, Squad G need only make their necessary, individual preparations and be ready to move out in 15 minutes. Meet here at the briefing room for further instructions at that time. Carry your orders to your squad mates and prepare for battle, Avan, Zeri!"

"You can count on us Brixy!" Avan declared giving a thumbs up.

"Yes sir," Zeri declared saluting the Professor as the two left to find the other squad members.

….

Fifteen minutes later, Ed and Al joined a fully equipped Squad G in the Lanseal briefing room.

"I'm not going to lie, Fullmetal," Brixy declared approaching the Elric brothers, "it is a comforting thought to know that you'll be accompanying my cadets on this dangerous mission."

"Yeah yeah," Ed said yawning, "honestly, I don't think I had a choice. It's either that, or stay here where the only people I know are either adults or that weird Julianna girl who keeps driving me crazy. I think I'd rather take my chances on this 'dangerous mission.'"

"Alright, well, as I'm sure you already know, a VIP is stopping at Lanseal on her way to a village in the south. It is up to Squad G to see to it that she safely reaches her destination. The Gallian army will be sending one of its tanks to accompany you on this mission, so you will have some artillery support. That should at least make things more manageable," Brixy revealed, beginning the briefing.

"A tank? Wow, that'll sure make things easy," Avan declared smiling broadly.

"That kind of relaxed thinking on the part of a commander is what gets Squad members killed. Don't drop your guard. Fulfill your mission and return home. Oh, one more thing. You will be accompanied on this mission by two Amestrian State Alchemists."

"Two, hey Al, I didn't know you were a State Alchemist like Ed," Cosette said looking over at Al and smiling widely.

"Uhh, it's not me. I'm not a State Alchemist," Alphonse declared shaking his head fiercely.

"I am the second state alchemist," a calm voice called from the entry way. A man with dark hair and dark eyes entered the room. He wore the traditional Amestrian military uniform and wore a headband that tied over his spiky, dark hair. The headband bore the same Darcsen markings as Zeri's scarf! "So, your Squad G. Pleased to meet you. My name is Vine, but you might know me better as Colonel Vine or the Raging Blast Alchemist. If I like you, then you can call me Vine, but since I don't like any of you right now, either Colonel or Raging Blast will be fine."

"Huh? Vine huh. Pleased to meet ya," Avan said smiling cheerfully at the Darcsen man.

"Heh, well I see how long that lasted," Vine declared rubbing the back of his head, "alright then, you can all just call me Vine, though I still don't like you."

"I love how cheerful he is when he tells people he doesn't like them," Rene whispered to Ed.

"He reminds me of someone!" Ed replied, "but I can't think of who."

"Ah, you must be Edward Elric. I've heard a lot about you. I hear you've been causing quite a bit of trouble out here, Fullmetal. Starting fights in the school yard, tying up class chairs using your alchemy. I'll admit, you're every bit the little fool I thought you'd be," Vine declared smiling teasingly then he looked from left to right as though he was looking for something, "huh, hey, where'd you go?" he looked back down at Ed, "oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't see you all the way down there." A light clicked on in Ed's head.

"AHHHHH! What the heck, don't I get enough grief with one cocky colonel to deal with! Why! Does every Colonel in the army act like this, OR JUST THE ONES I KNOW!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but you really ought to calm down. You're really creating a poor impression for we State Alchemists," Vine declared chuckling.

"What! I'm creating a poor impression! You're the one who just told an entire squad you didn't like them!" Ed shouted.

"Heh heh, I like this kid, he's fun," Vine declared laughing loudly.

"Huh, ahhh what the heck!" Ed declared, "can we just get this over with!"

"Easy there, little man. My charge is still getting ready. When she's ready to leave, then we'll leave," Vine replied patting Ed on the head.

"What did you just say! Who're you calling little! Come here, I'm gonna beat the snot out of you! Hey, let me go Alphonse!" Ed shouted lunging towards the Raging Blast Alchemist.

"Brother, you can't. He's a Colonel, you'll get in trouble," Al shouted trying desperately to hold back his brother.

"Seriously Ed, do you have any idea what they'd do to you if you attacked a colonel!" Rene pleaded grabbing Ed and helping.

"Hm, who's this cute little girl? She you're new girlfriend, Fullmetal?" Vine asked smiling cheekily at the two who completely froze.

"LET ME GO, NOEL! I'M GONNA KILL HIM FOR WHAT HE SAID!" Rene screamed charging for Vine as Noel jumped on her and tackled her to the floor.

"Yikes! Rene, take your own advice!" Noel pleaded, "Hey, a little help here!" Vine just laughed.

"Well, you kids are entertaining if nothing else. It'll be fun. Looking forward to working with you," Raging blast declared turning to leave. Suddenly he became serious, "we'll be heading out in five minutes. Just keep your heads down and I'll see to it you kids stay safe. I don't think things'll get too out of hand, but if they do… this person must remain safe. No matter what it costs any of us. Am I clear!" Ed and class G were caught completely off guard by the sudden change of personality and could only nod. "Good, well, now that the unpleantries are over… see you in five," he said strolling joyfully from the room.

"That guy was a State Alchemist?" Avan asked.

"Wow, they'll let just about anyone become a State Alchemist won't they," Franca declared shaking her head in disgust.

"Trust me, I only wish I could say that he's the weirdest State Alchemist I've ever met," Ed sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 5

APPROACHING DANGER

Alchemists vs Valkyrur

**Opening Theme: Hologram (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)**

Late that night, Squad G stopped and set up camp to rest for the night. It had been a long day's march, and it wasn't long before most of the class was asleep. Ed and Al sat up with Avan and Zeri whie Vine stood watch on top of the army tank. The day had been uneventful, but the mission was far from over. Satisfied that the immediate area was safe, Vine jumped off the tank and landed near Ed and the others. "Alright, we'll arrive in the town of Leanbluff tomorrow. From there, an Army battalion will be waiting to escort the target to her destination. All we have to do is make it through Leanbluff Forest and we're home free. Of course, that'll be easier said than done. Rough terrain, coupled with limited visibility will make it exceptionally difficult to move the APC quickly through the forest. Since we'll be at our most vulnerable, if the rebels are going to attack, that's where they'll do it," he revealed looking out at the silhouette of the forest before them, "you might want to get some rest."

"Shouldn't we set some guards?" Avan asked, "just in case the rebels try something."

"Relax, we have the best guards we could ask for. I'll be staying up most of the night and besides, our friend Alphonse here doesn't have to sleep to keep up his strength, so he can watch the whole night," Vine replied.

"Huh? How did you…?" Al gasped.

"Relax, I know all about you two. Don't worry too much about it though. Honestly, I could care less," Vine replied before Al even finished his question, "alright, Hardins, Zeri, Fullmetal, get to bed now."

"I'm alright. I'm going to stay up a while longer," Zeri replied.

"Fair enough. I'm not your babysitter, after all," Vine replied.

"I guess I'll hit the hay," Avan declared yawning, "we're gonna have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." He stood up and walked towards the area near the APC where the rest of his squad was bunkered down, leaving Ed, Vine, Zeri, and Al alone.

"So, Raging Blast Alchemist. How come they call you that?" Ed asked looking over at Vine.

"They call me that because I'm the expert on Blast Alchemy," Vine replied.

"Blast Alchemy? I've heard of that. It's Alchemy where the Alchemist uses his Alchemy to superheat the air around him and then emit that heated air away from him. The heat generated lights the air and causes it to appear as though the Alchemist is firing some sort of energy beam," Ed declared remembering something he'd read.

"Pretty smart, Fullmetal. You really know your stuff. You're not entirely wrong, however… that's really only the very basic fundamentals of Blast Alchemy. Maybe tomorrow, I'll show you why I'm the expert on the subject."

"Just wondering, what is our plan if we encounter trouble in the forest?" Zeri asked glancing at the two State Alchemists.

"Zeri right? Unless I'm mistaken, and I rarely am, you're a Darcsen, just like me," Vine declared, "you just enrolled at Lanseal, correct. It's good to see that Darcsen youth still care enough to do their part for Gallia, despite all the anti Darcsen bigotry our nation suffers from. Reinforcements should arrive approximately one hour after we enter the forest tomorrow. I'd wait for them if I could, but are orders are to move in immediately. If we encounter Rebel soldiers, our only chance is to protect the target and try to lose them in the forest. Even with a tank and two Amestrian State Alchemists supporting us, trying to engage an enemy battalion within the forest would cause massive casualties for Squad G. It's be difficult to keep you all safe in that kind of a situation."

"Then how do we prepare?" Zeri asked, obviously not convinced.

"You don't get it, do you kid? We're outgunned and outmanned. Right now, if the rebels decide they want to take our target, there won't be much you and your squad of cadets will be able to do to stop them. If it comes to a fight, our only prayer is to hold out until reinforcements arrive. We'll establish a base camp at the edge of the forest and map out our trail through the forest there… and pray we can evade the rebels until we reach the other end of the forest."

"Not much of a plan, but I guess there really isn't much we can do," Zeri replied after hearing what Vine had to say, "I guess we'll just have to do what we can."

"Right now, the best thing for you to do is rest and be ready to march as early as possible in the morning," Vine declared nodding to his fellow Darcsen.

"Understood sir," Zeri replied standing up, "good night then." He turned and walked towards the bedding area.

"Ed, if you don't mind staying up with your brother just a little while longer, I'm going to check on our charge," Vine declared heading towards the APC.

"Hey, Colonel, just who is our charge anyway?" Ed asked looking back at the departing Raging Blast.

"Sorry Fullmetal, but for the sake of security, I'm not allowed to tell you that. Just know that we must keep her safe, no matter what the cost," Vine replied continuing towards the APC. Ed and Al watched until he disappeared into the vehicle.

"He's a nice guy," Al said happily.

"I dunno, he reminds me too much of Colonel Mustang," Ed replied yawning, leaning against the army tank, and closing his eyes, "I'm gonna try and get some sleep, Al. You gonna be alright by yourself?"

"Of course. No problem, Brother," Alphonse replied as Ed drifted off, "but still… I wonder who we're protecting.

….

"Vine? Is that you?" a woman's voice asked as Vine entered the APC.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Vine asked eying the woman who sat before him.

"No, I'm alright," the woman replied, "how are the cadets?"

"They're all sleeping soundly. I'm gonna have my work cut out for me keeping them safe tomorrow. If the rebels don't get them, the forest just might," Vine said, chuckling as he sat down, "they're strong. I know they'll be just fine."

"I know, after all, they have you looking after them," the woman replied resting her head on Vine's shoulder, "do you think… everything will go well tomorrow?"

"You don't have to be afraid. I'll protect you, just like I always have," Vine replied, "now get some rest. It's going to be a long day."

"I know you will. Thank you Vine, for everything." Vine listened as her breathing became gentler and she drifted off to sleep.

"I promise, I'll protect you at any costs… Cordellia."

….

"Alright, rise and shine cadets!" Vine shouted energetically slamming a metal spoon against a pot to create a loud clanging sound. The makeshift alarm was only mildly effective as about half the cadets woke up and began to busy themselves getting ready. Vine scratched his chin as he contemplated how to wake the others. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a pair of dark blue gloves with Transmutation circles drawn on their palm. Pulling one on his right hand, he pointed his hand up into the sky. "You asked for it," he declared as a red flash of light shot into the sky and exploded with a loud crash. The cadets who were awake dropped to the ground and covered their ears while the still sleeping ones bolted upright and looked around in utter confusion. By the tank, Ed, shot awake as well.

"What's going on! Are we under attack! Where's it coming from!" he shouted anxiously looking around.

"If you cadets want a chance to eat breakfast you better get busy. We're moving out in one and one half hour," Vine declared removing his glove and sticking them both back in his pocket, "it'd be such a shame if those eggs and sausage we packed for you kids went to waste, but once we're in the forest, cooking fires are absolutely off limits. Besides, it'd probably be in our best interest to dump the food anyways, decrease our chances of encountering wild animals."

"Guy sure knows how to motivate ya," Avan declared, "alright, let's get ready to move out guys!"

….

Within the forest, several rebel soldiers prepared for battle. Leading them was a dark haired young man with a fiery demeanor. He was none other than Baldren Gassenarl. Together with several men clad in strange armor, he was lying in wait for the target charged to the care of Edward and Class G. A rebel soldier emerged from some trees and approached Baldren.

"Sir, the target is entering the forest. We've confirmed that the squad accompanying it are from Lanseal sir," the man reported.

"Lanseal? Cadets? I would have expected more seasoned soldiers, based on the orders Father gave. No matter," Baldren declared calling to a man wearing fierce looking armor and carrying two long lances, "Dirk, you have your orders, capture the target and put anyone who gets in your way to the Azure flames."

"Understood," Dirk replied as his entire body began to glow with a blue flame. Accompanied by 15 men wearing strange armor and glowing with blue flame auras of their own, Dirk headed towards his target.

….

Perched atop the APC, Vine was the first to spot the approaching enemies, but it wasn't long before all of Class G spotted them as well. "So much for evading the enemy," Vine cursed as the commander, Dirk, pointed his lance in the direction of the army tank!

"What the… everyone get out of the way!" Avan ordered as the lance began to glow blue. As Class G members dashed out of the path of the lance, a bright blue beam fired from it and pierced the tank. Within moments, the entire tank had exploded!"

"What the heck was that!" Avan shouted.

"Avan! That blast completely destroyed the tank!" Cosette called.

"If that beam attack hit a human target… there'd be nothing left!" Zeri realized as the lance began to glow blue again.

"No you don't!" Ed shouted clapping his hands and transmuting a thick wall of earth between the rebels and Squad G. The blue beam slammed into the wall and was stopped.

"Good work, Ed!" Rene shouted.

"Don't get to comfortable! This isn't over yet," Vine declared slipping on both his alchemy gloves and dropping down next to the remains of what had once been the tank. As he did, three of the armored warriors burst through Ed's wall, bathed in blue flame and charged towards Class G, wielding long lances.

"Heads up!" Franca shouted opening fire with her submachine gun. All of Squad G quickly followed suit and opened fire on the three enemies, stopping them, but not actually hurting them!

"What's going on, we're not doing anything to them!" Zeri shouted.

"Those flames are stopping the bullets," Vine declared stepping forward and signaling the squad to cease fire. The three rebels stared at him and readied their lances. "Don't get cocky," Vine ordered, "those auras repel bullets but I doubt they'll stop these." Pointing his hands forward, Vine fired three blasts, each of which passed clean through the body of a rebel, killing all three of them.

"Hey, Colonel!" Ed shouted, "there are more of them behind us! We're surrounded!"

"Just great! Everyone assume defensive positions," Vine ordered placing his hand to the ground and transmuting several earthen barriers for the squad members to take cover behind, "darn it. Our reinforcements won't be here for another 30 or 40 minutes yet. We might be in a bit of trouble."


	6. Chapter 6

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 6

RAGING BLAST

Roaring Flame

**Opening Theme: Hologram (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)**

Ed clapped his hands together and slammed them both into the ground, creating a path of spikes along the ground that knocked rebels in all directions while Vine continued to pick off the enemy soldiers with well-placed Blasts. Squad G was continuing to lay down cover fire, but it was having little effect.

"Colonel, we have to find a way to get past those shields!" Ed shouted.

"I'm all ears Fullmetal!" Vine replied blasting another rebel.

"Those shields have to have some sort of power, right! I don't see anything on the soldier's armor large enough to generate that much power though. I bet they have an outside power source!"

"You're right. It's not likely these soldiers carry their power source on their bodies. To generate a shield like that, they probably have a mobile power supply nearby. If we can destroy it, and get those shields down, we'll have a much better shot at this.

"How do we find it though!" Zeri called, "we have no idea where it might be!"

"It has to be close!" Vine replied, "I doubt it could power these things from much more than a hundred or so feet away. It's probably hiding out of sight in the trees. We just need to look for it."

"Just one problem," Ed replied, "these guys aren't gonna wait around while we look."

"Just leave them to me!" Vine ordered, "Divide up into teams of 4 or 5 and find that vehicle. It's our only chance."

"You can't hold them off by yourself," Ed declared, "we'll help you."

"Alright," Vine replied, "Avan, we're counting on you and your squad. Find their energy source, destroy it, and then hurry back."

"Alright. You two had better stay alive though," Avan declared.

"Don't worry, I'm not that easy to get rid of," Vine replied.

"That goes double for the two of us," Ed declared and Alphonse nodded in agreement.

"Alright you two," Vine said putting his hands against one of his earth barriers and transmuting a long lance, "let's give these guys some cover."

"Guess it's time to get serious then," Ed declared transmuting his Automail blade, "alright, let's go."

"I'm right behind you," Alphonse declared as the three alchemists leapt over the barrier and charged at the encroaching rebels.

"Get ready, Fullmetal, I'll show you some real Blast Alchemy now!" Vine declared swinging his lance horizontally. As he did, a long wave of blast alchemy emerged from it, cutting through several rebel soldiers.

"Whoa! Brother, he just used alchemy through his weapon!" Alphonse shouted.

"Please, is that all you can do?" Ed asked, "I don't think that's enough to make you a 'Master of Blast Alchemy'."

"Oh, this show has only just begun," Vine replied as the three Alchemists battled the seemingly invincible enemy soldiers.

….

"We need to hurry and find that energy source before those things overwhelm Ed and the Colonel," Avan declared as his five man squad consisting of himself, Franca, Zeri, Nichol, and Renee moved as quickly as they could through the forest.

"Avan, can you hear me," a deep voice called from Avan's communicator.

"Reiner! What is it man!" Avan asked.

"I think we found it. We found a strange looking vehicle that is emitting the same blue flame the shields are comprised of. It's not heavily armored. A well placed round into the ragnaid tank at the back of it would likely destroy it. The problem is that it's heavily defended. None of us can get close enough to take the shot. We need a sniper. One that's accurate at a long range."

"Nichol, you getting this? Where are you?" Avan asked.

"Our squad is nearby Avan," Cosette's voice replied through the communicator.

"Good. Get there as fast as you can. Nichol, we're counting on you," Avan ordered.

"Um, yes sir. I'll do my best," Nichol's timid voice replied.

"Avan, what should we do?" Zeri asked.

"We get down there and help 'em, that's what we do," Avan replied, "alright, Squad G, get to Reiner's position and get ready to support. We've gotta take down this energy supply fast, or Vine and Ed are gonna be in big trouble!" he shouted into the communicator so that all of Squad G could hear him. Following their orders, the members of Squad G quickly converged on the location of the Supply Vehicle.

….

Reiner and one of the Squad G swordsmen, a young, black haired youth named Morris hid behind some trees, watching the rebel guards bellow. They were ordinary soldiers, not the armored ones that Vine and Edward were still fighting, but they still outnumbered Reiner's five man squad. They turned as a young girl with glasses knelt down beside them, carrying a rifle, Lotte.

"Well?" Reiner asked.

"No good, chief. I can't get close enough for a clear shot without getting seen," Lotte revealed.

"Reiner," another deep voice called from Reiner's communicator. It was his squads medic, Raymond, who was waiting at the top of the hill they were set up on with their Shocktrooper, a silver haired girl, Anisette.

"What is it Raymond?" Reiner asked.

"Cosette's squad arrived with Nichol. He's setting up at the top of the hill, but he says it will take some time to line up a clear shot with all of the trees and foliage on the hill. The rest of the squad will be here soon as well."

"They'd better hurry. If we're discovered, we'll be sitting ducks," Reiner declared.

"Reiner, you there man?" Avan's voice called through the communicator.

"Where are you Avan?"

"I think we're on the other side of the rebel force. We've linked up with Alexis and Noel's squads. Is Cosette there yet?"

"Yes, Nichol is preparing to take the shot now," Reiner revealed.

"Good, but we need to keep them busy. We'll hit them from both sides at the same time. Leave Anisette to cover Nichol and tell Cosette to get ready," Avan ordered.

"Yes sir," Reiner replied, "Lotte, go get Cosette and tell her the plan, we need to work fast."

….

Vine stabbed through a shoulders helmet with his lance before spinning and firing a blast through another ones chest. The one he blasted stayed down, but the one he'd stabbed slowly got back up.

"Darn it. These things just won't die! I don't think these things are human!"

"Do you think they're homunculus, brother?" Alphonse asked.

"Not a chance. We've killed some of them, remember. These shields are just keeping our weapons from doing enough damage. Vine's right about one thing, though. Whatever they are, they're not human!" Ed declared, deflecting a lance with his Automail blade.

"What I can't figure out is what they are," Vine revealed, "they don't sound hollow, so I don't think they're like Alphonse."

"What! Hey, don't talk about my brother like he's not human, you jerk!" Ed shouted.

"That's not what I'm saying!" Vine shouted back

"Guys, can we do this later! We're in trouble right now!" the Squad G Tank Commander, Lavinia, shouted over the APC's comm system.

"Right," Vine and Ed both replied as the two State Alchemists turned their attention back to their real enemies.

….

Back at the rebel camp guarding the Supply Vehicle, two rebel soldiers stood looking in the direction of the battle.

"Any idea what's going on over there?" one of the men asked as another huge explosion shook the ground.

"I just heard the report. They say those two State Alchemists, the Darcsen and the Amestrian, are actually holding off the Artificial Valkyria all by themselves. We don't know what happen to the Lanseal brats, but I'm guessing they turned tail and ran as soon as the real fighting began. With them out of the way, it's only a matter of time before the V2s purge the Alchemist scum and complete their task," the other man declared.

"Hah, what fools, sending children to do a soldiers job. This mission was way to ea…" the man was cut short as he was blown onto his back by a bullet.

"What in the…" his comrade shouted as Avan and Zeri burst into the clearing, dove behind cover and opened fire on the rebel soldiers around the camp.

"It's the Lanseal brats!" a man shouted, "take 'em down!" He was cut down almost immediately by a spray of bullets from the side. Franca and Marion had snuck around their side and were now firing on them from cover. Bullets started to fly from the other side as well as two scouts, a young man with silver hair wearing a blue military hat, Helmutt, and a young girl with short black hair, Melissa, opened fire on them as well.

"They're trying to surround us! Don't let us be boxed in!" another man shouted, but it was too late. Reiner's anti-tank lance's shell ripped through the camp, knocking rebel soldiers in all directions as Cosette and a shocktrooper with short blonde hair, Erik, opened fire from behind. Desperate, the rebel soldiers scrambled for whatever cover they could find and began to return fire at the Lanseal cadets who had surrounded them.

"Avan, I still can't get a clear shot at the vehicle!" Reiner shouted.

"Don't worry, leave it to Nichol! Just keep these guys' heads down!" Avan replied continuing to fire.

….

"Hurry Nichol! The others can't hold out forever!" Anisette shouted anxiously.

"I'm sorry. With all these plants and trees, I have to line this shot up perfectly or I'll miss," Nichol replied.

"I know, but hurry, darling. We don't have much time," Anisette replied. Just then, a loud crash behind her caught her attention. She turned to see one of the armored soldiers standing above her and Nichol, with its Lance raised to strike.

Anisette's scream cut into the ears of Class G like a hot knife into butter.

"Anisette! Hey, what's going on up there!" Avan shouted into the communicator. There was nothing but static from the other end, "Reiner!"

"I'm going! Raymond come with me!" Reiner ordered.

"Don't bother, Reiner. Just send a medic. I'm closer to the top. I can't do much here, so I'll see to Anisette and Nichol."

"That you Alexis! Awesome, take care of them. Just leave things down here to us!" Avan ordered.

"Got it," Alexis replied as she continued up the hill. She quickly reached the top and froze at the sight. Nichol was lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding from a large gash on his shoulder. Anisette was being lifted several feet off the ground, her neck clasped in the hand of one of the armored soldiers and her face beginning to turn blue from lack of oxygen! "Hey, let her go!" she ordered charging with her sword and slashing at the rebels arm. The blade wasn't able to pierce the shield, but it knocked the arm away from Anisette. Alexis grabbed her comrade as she fell and jumped back laying the barely conscious Anisette next to Nichol then turning back to face her foe.

"Avan, she called into her communicator, "we've been caught. Anisette and Nichol are okay, but they're both out cold. You've got to take out that energy source, now!" she shouted as the rebel swung its lance at her. She was barely able to deflect it with her shield and tried to strike with her sword, only to have it bounce harmlessly off the blue flame shield. "I can't do anything to him! Darn it, I can't win!"

"Alexis! Behind you!" Anisette choked as loudly as she could. Alexis turned to see a massive figure standing behind her. It's fist was raised as though it was ready to strike! 

"I can't stop him in time. No, this is bad!" Alexis cursed closing her eyes as the giant man slammed his fist forward, into the face of the charging rebel soldier, sending it flying.

"What in the…" Anisette gasped as the man stepped forward. He was huge with a blonde mustache and a single strand of blonde hair sticking up from his otherwise bald head, kinda like the strand of hair that stuck up from Edwards head, but what really distinguished this man was his size. Anisette was certain she'd never seen such a muscular man.

"Take heart children!" the man shouted in a loud voice, "I, Alex Louis Armstrong, heir of the Armstrong family, shall protect you. Behold my muscles and take comfort young ones!"

"Huh?" Anisette replied, obviously confused by the giant man's unusual antics. Then she shrieked as the Rebel Soldier rose to his feet, slowly.

"So you're still able to stand are you," Major Armstrong shouted as the rebel turned its attention to him, "no matter. That was but a small taste of the special brand of Strong Arm Alchemy that has been passed down the Armstrong family line for generations!"

"You won't be able to do anything to him while his shield is still up, Major," a gentle woman's voice said from beside Anisette. The young Shocktrooper turned to see a woman with short blonde hair pointing a large sniper rifle down the hill, "this should take care of that though," Riza Hawkeye declared pulling the trigger. The bullet struck its target and down below them, the Supply Vehicle's Ragnaid canister exploded, taking the vehicle with it! Anisette watched as the rebel soldiers blue flame aura vanished.

"Yeah! They got it!" Avan shouted excitedly, "let's finish this up and get back to Vine and Ed, guys!

….

Ed smiled as the shields protecting the rebel soldiers suddenly vanished. "Yeah, looks like Avan and the others did it!" he shouted.

"Hey, you guys might want to get out of the line of fire!" a voice called behind them. The three alchemists turned to see a man with spiky blonde hair, mounting a giant machine gun on one of the earth walls Vine had transmuted for cover.

"Al… is that…" Ed stuttered when he saw the man.

"I think so, Brother," Al replied.

"Jean Havoc?" Vine said curiously.

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" Havoc called as he began to open fire. Al and Ed screamed and frantically dove away from the line of fire while Vine transmuted a wall of earth to absorb the gunfire while Havoc mowed down many of the now shield less soldiers.

"I wondered who the Fuher meant when he told me that he was sending another State Alchemist with support from the Mother Country to help out in this Civil War. I guess that answers that question. It's been a long time," Vine declared as a giant flame suddenly roared across the remaining rebel soldiers. He looked up a small hill at the man with short black hair wearing an Amestrian Military uniform standing just within view of the tree line. "Colonel Mustang."


	7. Chapter 7

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 7

MIGHT OF THE VALKYRUR

Defeat the V0

**Opening Theme: Melissa (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

"Colonel, we're back! Are you guys… okay?" Avan asked looking around at the charred and burnt armor around him, "uh, what happened here?"

"Forest fire, don't worry about," Vine replied.

"Yeah, I wish it'd just been a forest fire. They're not nearly as annoying," Ed replied.

"Did you say something, Fullmetal? By the way, weren't you supposed to be stopping this civil war? Why am I always getting sent in to clean up your messes?" Colonel Mustang asked tauntingly.

"See what I mean?"

"Another State Alchemist?" Zeri said, "that's four now. Three of whom are Amestrian."

"Four? Who's the fourth?" Vine asked.

"Colonel Vine? Colonel Vine is that you!" an all too familiar voice called out. Major Armstrong stormed into sight, nearly plowing Vine over as he did.

"Gah, I had to ask," Vine choked out as Major Armstrong nearly crushed the life out of him, "Major… put… me… down!"

"My apologies Colonel Vine, but it has indeed been so very long since we've seen each other, has it not," Major Armstrong declared.

"Heh, I guess it has. Let's see, I haven't had any broken ribs in a while, so I think it's been at least two years," Vine replied, "so, who else did you bring with ya? Wait a second, is that Lieutenant Hawkeye I see?" Vine asked spotting Hawkeye.

"Colonel Vine," Hawkeye replied simply nodded at him.

"Heh, well I guess that's about normal. The giant Goliath look alike crushes the life out of me while the pretty young lady walks right past without so much as a 'how do you do?'"

"So remind me, how do you guys all know each other?" Ed asked.

"Colonel Vine was one of the State Alchemists who was mobilized during the Ishvallan Civil War," Major Armstrong replied.

"You were in Ishval?" Alphonse asked.

"For about a month before my higher ups realized I wasn't kidding about renouncing my State Alchemy license if they didn't pull me out. I know a good bit about having your race wiped out over something that wasn't your fault, and I'd have rather died then do that to someone else on the behalf of Bradley," Vine replied.

"I take it you don't get along with the Fuher very well," Ed observed.

"Understatement of the century, kid," Vine replied, "Bradly and I have never seen eye to eye, and it's more than just that eye patch of his that's getting in the way, but that's a story for another time. If we're all set to move, I suggest we…" he stopped before he finished his sentence, his eyes widening with shock and dismay. Slamming his hand into the ground, he transmuted a sword of Earth and rock and charged at Zeri.

"What the…!" Zeri exclaimed ducking as Vine swung the sword. He was surprised to hear the sword clash against something metallic. He looked up and saw that one of the armored soldiers and Vine had locked swords above him.

"You're different. What the heck are you!" Vine demanded.

"You are a Darcsen, yet you also use Amestrian Alchemy?" the man said in an almost robotic voice that made Vine uneasy, "the epitome of all evil that infests Gallia." The man's lance began to glow blue and a wave of blue flame emitted from it, blowing the State Alchemist backwards.

"I see. You must be Dirk Gassenarl then. A few years ago, I might have said it's a pleasure to meet you, but I'm not on good terms with the Gassenarl's these days. You see, they started trying to exterminate my entire race and drove my country into civil war!" Vine declared.

"Stand aside. Regardless of what you might be, you are not my target this day," Dirk replied to Vine's accusation.

"We both know that's not going to happen," Vine declared, "either walk away or prepare to fight. I'm afraid there's no third option this time."

"You and all of these Lanseal cadets will die here to protect one person? Don't be a fool," Dirk replied.

"Funny, I'd heard you weren't very talkative. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're scared to come at us," Vine declared, "My job is to protect our charge with my life. Besides, this is a personal matter for me as well. I won't back down."

"Neither will we, right Al?" Ed said transmuting his arm into it's blade state.

"Right, Brother," Al replied getting ready to fight.

"Avan, you and the Squad form up around the APC and protect it with your lives. Leave this guy to us," Vine ordered.

"Yes sir," Avan repeated as Squad G rushed over to the APC. Vine walked over to it as well and jumped up on the top.

"Ms. Lane, I'm borrowing this side turret. It won't do us much good here anyway, but I promise I'll fix it later. I need something a bit more durable for this fight," he said reaching down and grabbing the turret which he then transmuted into a large sword. It was roughly 5 ft in length and blunt on one side like a katana. Etched into the blade were the same Darcsen markings that were on Zeri's bandana.

"Still using that same style of blade I see," Colonel Mustang declared as Vine walked back up beside him and Major Armstrong.

"Well, when you find a style that suits you, I say stick with it," Vine replied smiling, "Let's do this."

"Fine by me," Colonel Mustang replied, snapping his fingers, and transmuting a burst of flame that appeared and engulfed Dirk. However, the flames quickly dispersed, only slightly charring the armor. Vine, Ed, and Al charged at him. Vine swung his sword, locking his blade against Dirk's lance while Ed and Al swung low, taking advantage of the opening Vine created. However, Dirk leapt back, throwing Vine off balance and causing Ed and Al to miss.

"Darn it, get back here!" Vine ordered firing Blast Alchemy at the man who deflected it with his lance. Vine and Ed watched in terror as the lance began to glow with the blue, flame-like Aura.

"Oh man, this is the attack he used to destroy that tank!" Ed shouted.

"He's aiming for the APC. We gotta block it!" Vine shouted.

"Or make him miss all together," Ed replied clapping his hands together and putting them against the ground. As Dirk fired his attack, Ed transmuted the ground that the APC, the Lanseal Cadets, and they were standing on, rising into the air. The blast slammed into a solid stone wall and indented several feet into it, causing the ground that Ed, Al, and Vine were standing on to crumble away.

"Hang on!" Vine ordered grabbing his sword in his teeth and grabbing both Elric brothers, "time for another lesson in Blast Alchemy!" he kicked against the cliff face and a short of Blast Alchemy exploded from his feet propelling himself and the brothers towards Dirk.

"Whoa! How did you…?" Ed exclaimed.

"I'll explain later, attack now!" Vine ordered releasing the brothers and grabbing his sword.

"Got it!" Ed and Al both shouted as the 3 Alchemists slammed into Dirk with weapons and fist. Vine's attack was blocked by the lance, but Ed and Al made contact, knocking the rebel commander back and to his knees.

"We hit him!" Al exclaimed.

"Seriously, how did you fire Blast Alchemy from your feet!" Ed shouted again.

"Well, I had a transmutation circle drawn on each foot which I used to produce the Alchemy. Unfortunately, that technique is something I can only do once because the material I have to draw the circle with to make sure it doesn't come off while I'm walking melts under the heat of the Blast Alchemy. I tried to get a pair of Alchemy boots made special, but who wants to make a boots for Alchemy. It just isn't practical."

"You had a transmutation circle on your feet!" Ed shouted.

"I told ya kid, I'm the master of Blast Alchemy. I can generate Blast Alchemy from anything that has a transmutation circle drawn on it. Like this sword for example. I always embed a small circle into the hilt, and since it's all transmuted from one solid piece of metal, I can generate a blast from anywhere on the weapon. That allows me to use Blast Alchemy in ways other Blast Alchemists can only dream of," Vine revealed.

"Whoa! Can you teach me to do that?"

"I gotta keep some secrets to myself, kid. I'm the Raging Blast Alchemist, but I wouldn't be very impressive if everyone knew how to use my Raging Blast Alchemy." The conversation was cut short as Dirk rose to his feet again. "Man, he just doesn't quit." Just then, dozens more of the armored soldiers emerged from the tree line and began towards the Alchemists. "Well that sucks."

"What do we do now!" Alphonse asked.

"We run like scared little forest elves, what do you think!" Vine replied.

"That won't work! The APC is up on top of that transmuted cliff!"

"And whose fault is that!" Vine shouted

"Hey, now's not the time to point fingers!" Ed shouted.

"Gah, you pathetic little mouse!"

"Who're you calling a little mouse! Do I look like someone who eat's cheese!"

"Well anyway, running is out of the question," Vine declared.

"So what do we do?" Al asked again.

"We could throw Ed at them. Maybe it'll scare them and they'll run away," Vine suggested.

"What! No, you can't throw my brother at those monsters!" Al exclaimed.

"Eh, you're right. He's so small there's no way they'd get scared of him. We might as well throw pebbles at them," Vine replied.

"What the heck! Who're you calling small!" Ed exclaimed.

"You got us into this mess, so I'm calling you small," Vine replied.

"What was I supposed to do! Let him shoot the vehicle!" Ed exclaimed.

"I can think of a hundred ways we could have gotten it out of the path of that blast, and not one of them involved putting it on a cliff!" Vine shouted glaring at Ed who returned the glare.

"Guys, seriously, what do we do!" Al asked yet again.

"This really doesn't look good. We could handle the regular soldiers, but Dirk makes things a lot more difficult. Everything we've done and I don't think we've done anything to him," Vine replied, "our only prayer is to make ourselves scarce, which'll be easier said than done."

"Darn it. Nothing left to do but fight, I guess," Ed declared.

"It's not usually my style to prescribe suicide as the best course of action, but at least we can take some of them down with us," Vine replied, "alright boys, let's do this."

….

On a hilltop overlooking the valley where Vine, Ed, and Al where about to make their desperate stand, a woman with long black hair dressed in a long white lab coat sat setting up some sort of machine. Standing beside her was a figure clad in a black cloak.

"Looks like Colonel Vine and the Advance team are at the end of their rope. I suppose we should step in before they're annihilated. If anything happened to them, we'd lose several valuable subjects," the woman declared, "Aliasse, we only need raw combat data this time. Kill them however you wish."

"Yes Mama," the figure replied. A blue aura began to emit around her, blowing the black cloak aside, revealing a beautiful young girl with long, light blue hair. She was clad in a black tank top, black short swords, and black boots with a black and red cape and strange red, horn like pieces of armor extending up from a hairband on her head. In her hands, she carried a lance similar to the foes below and a shield.

"We're all set. Wipe them out, Aliasse," the woman ordered as the girl charged down the hill.

….

Ed, Al, and Vine heard the girl crashing through the trees long before she burst into view. She swung her lance, emitting a blue Aura that completely engulfed the armored soldiers, killing them all before turning her attention to Dirk and charging at him. She swung her lance, expecting an easy kill, but Dirk raised his lance and blocked her!

"You're different. What are you?" the girl demanded as she and Dirk stared each other down. For a moment, Dirk completely forgot about his other foes. A costly mistake as Ed slid underneath the girl and sliced up, catching both the girl and the rebel commander off guard as his Automail blade cut into the man's armored soldier, causing a small spurt of blood to come from it. Dirk backed away, but not fast enough. Vine's blade came down from above and cut much deeper into the same shoulder that Ed had cut, causing the wound to spurt even more blood and forcing the Rebel commander to his knees.

"It seems I've underestimated you. I did not realize that Lanseal had a true Valkyrur at their disposal," Dirk revealed rising to his feet, "you've won this day, but we will meet again." With that, the rebel commander turned and walked away.

"You're not getting away," the girl declared beginning to run after him, but Ed grabbed her with his left hand.

"He's giving up. There's no reason to keep fighting. I don't know who you are, but thanks for your help back the… owwww!" Ed shouted as the girl glanced back at him for a moment and then suddenly bit his hand!

"Owww! What the heck! You little brat, what was that for!" Ed shouted.

The girl stuck her tongue out at him, "serves you right, Shorty."

"What did you just call me?" Ed asked rather tensely as the girl turned and began to run back the way she had come, giggling like a child, "hey! Get back here! Who're you calling so short you couldn't see him under a magnifying glass!"

"I didn't say that, but I should have!" the girl shouted back as Ed took off after her!

"Ed wait! Gahh, Alphonse, get the others down. I'll bring Ed back," Vine ordered chasing after Ed and Aliasse.

….

"Come back here kid! I'm gonna teach you a lesson! Stop running away!" Ed ordered chasing the girl up the hill. He stopped short as the girl ran up behind the woman in the lab cloak who had just finished packing up her machinery.

"Who is this boy, Aliasse?" the woman demanded.

"He's some little jerk who was picking on me, Mama," Aliasse replied.

"STOP CALLING ME LITTLE! YOU'RE NO TALLER THEN I AM!"

"Clementia Forster. I thought I smelled a rat," Vine's voice behind Ed caused him to jump and look back. The colonel was standing right behind him, "what's an Imperial dog like you doing in Gallia!"

"Colonel Vine. My it has been a long time, hasn't it. I believe during the war was the last time was saw each other," the woman replied sounding every bit as bitter as Vine had.

"That little girl, is she what I think she is?" Vine demanded.

"I believe you already know the answer to that."

"I see. You poor kid. You honestly believe this woman is some sort of mother to you. Let me warn you now kid. You're nothing to her but a lab rat, and an expendable one at that."

"What! How dare you speak of my mama that way!" Aliasse shouted.

"Enough, Aliasse, we're leaving. We've gotten what we came here for," Clamentia ordered.

"Let's get out of here Ed. Just looking at that witch is starting to make me sick," Vine ordered as the two parties turned and went their separate ways.

….

"So, Vine… what did you mean when you asked what that girl was?" Ed asked.

"Are you familiar with the legend of the Valkyria, Edward?" Vine asked.

"Uhhh, Valkyri-what?"

"I didn't think so. I don't have time to tell you the story now, so I'll tell it once we get back to Lanseal… but… bathed in blue flame and armed with lance and shield. There is no doubt in my mind that that girl was a Valkyrur.

….

The sun was beginning to set when Class G exited the forest. "Ahhh, the beautiful sun. I was beginning to think I'd never see it again through all those trees," Vine declared breathing deeply.

"Colonel Vine?" a soldier said as he approached the group, "we're the relief team from Randgriz. We'll be escorting the target during the rest of her stay here in the south. You have orders to return to Lanseal immediately."

"I'm taking it that I am indeed being reassigned then," Vine declared.

"Correct. As of right now, all Amestrian certified State Alchemists, including the Raging Blast Alchemist, will be stationed at Lanseal Military Academy, where you will fall under the direct command of Colonel Roy Mustang. Those are the orders from the Mother Country. Also, effective immediately, Colonel Mustang will be taking command of the military handlings of the academy. Lieutenant General Kluivert will now function solely as Lanseal's academic headmaster until further notice is given," the soldier replied.

"Understood," Colonel Mustang declared saluting the soldier.

"Guess we better head back then," Ed declared.

"Yeah, guess so," Vine replied though he sounded a bit hesitant to leave.

"Vine, wait," a woman's voice called from behind them. The squad turned to see that a lovely young woman with shoulder length, dark colored hair had emerged from the APC.

"Archduchess Cordelia, please, get back inside. It's too dangerous," a soldier shouted running to the side of the Archduchess.

"Archduchess Cordelia?" Avan repeated.

"She's the ruler of Gallia," Cosette said, "she's who we've been escorting this whole time?"

"What is she doing in the south?" Zeri wondered.

"Please, stand aside. I wish to thank these young people who have protected me from harm, personally," Cordelia replied gently. The soldier had no choice but to step aside.

"Archduchess Cordelia," Cosette said respectfully as all of Class G bowed to the Archduchess… all that is, except for….

"Huh, so you're the Archduchess, huh? Pleased to meet ya?" Avan said giving her an energetic thumbs up.

"Avan!" Cosette shouted jumping up and tackling him to the ground.

"Ow, Cosette! What the heck!" Avan protested trying to push himself up.

"You idiot," Zeri hissed helping Cosette pin him, "she's the Archduchess, have some respect." Cordellia began to laugh which surprised the cadets. Vine was just rubbing his head like he was embarrassed.

"Such energetic young people. I'm glad. It's good to see that Gallia's future is in good hands," the Archduchess said smiling.

"I guess that's one way to put it," Vine replied.

"So… you're really leaving then?" Cordellia asked turning her attention to the Raging Blast Alchemist.

"For a while at least. Can't end this war if I'm following you around, after all," Vine replied. Cordellia frowned a bit at his statement. "Hey, I'll come back. I always do, don't I?" It didn't seem to help much. Vine smiled and rose up his hand. Cordellia watched him curiously as he rose his pointer and middle finger and poked her gently on the forehead. "Keep your chin up Princess. This'll be over before you know it. Gassenarl talks tough, but that's about all he does. Now that I'm on the front lines, he's as good as done." Cordellia smiled and nodded her head.

"Thank you Vine, but I'm not the princess anymore. I'm the Archduchess now," she replied.

"Please, Cordelia, as far as I'm concerned, you'll always be that sweet little Princess I grew up with," Vine replied resting his sword on his shoulder and walking past her, "you'd better get going. You've got a lot to do."

"Yes, of course," Cordelia replied, "but I want you all to take these," she said producing a basket with a small towel covering it from behind her.

"What are they?" Avan asked eying the basket.

"Cinnamon rolls. They're a favorite of mine. I know it's not much, but it's all I can do to thank you. I'm taking some to share with the people in a town that was damaged during fighting," Cordelia revealed handing the basket to Avan.

"So that's what this is about then," Vine said, "I should have guessed as much I guess."

"You're visiting towns that were damaged during combat?" Zeri asked.

"Yes," Cordelia replied, "I know there's not much I can do, but I at least want to do what I can."

"Don't sell yourself short," Avan said standing up and giving he another reassuring thumbs up, "when the people see how much you care about them, I'm sure it'll make all of them feel a lot better."

"What he said," Vine declared smiling at the Archduchess, "alright, we really need to head back. I'll see you later, Cordellia," Vine declared.

"Ah man, do we have to go back through the forest?" Ed asked.

"Stop complaining," Lavinia shouted through the speaker of the APC, "At least you don't have to drive this thing back through. Which reminds me, someone's still carrying my right gun turret around like it's his! Give it back Vine!"

"Oh, right. Sorry, I completely forget," Vine said realizing he was still carrying the sword he had transmuted from the APC, "I'll get right on that!" Cordellia smiled as the sound of Class G's laughter reached her ear.

"We should be going, Archduchess," one of the soldiers declared.

"Yes," Cordellia responded turning and walking towards her new APC, "let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 7

The Valkyrur's Tale

THE DARCSEN CALAMITY

Opening Theme: Melissa (Fullmetal Alchemist)

"Alright, guys! We're almost back to Lanseal! I am so looking forward to a hot meal and a warm bed to sleep in tonight!" Avan exclaimed energetically.

"What's wrong Hardins," Ed taunted, "don't tell me your too chicken to finish our soccer game."

"Who're you calling chicken. We'll finish that as soon as I eat!"

"Ohh, you're so going down, Hardins!"

"Oh yeah, I'm not scarred of a little guy like you!"

"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!"

"Glad to see those two are still so full of energy," Renee said chuckling, "cause I'm beat."

"Ah, come on, that was nothing. Leanbluff Forest is nothing compared to Kloden Wildwood," Vine replied, "now going through that place will tire you out."

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience," Renee replied.

"Unfortunately. My squad got dispatched there early during EWII to clear out an Imperial Supply Camp. I honestly thought I was gonna die."

"Yeah right," Jean Havoc replied, "knowing you, if you really got that freaked out, you would have just leveled the entire forest with blast alchemy." Jean froze as a very tiny alchemy blast zipped in front of his face, cutting the cigarette he was smoking in half.

"I don't recall asking your input, Havoc. You know, those things are going to kill you yet, right?" Vine replied.

"Even you? Why does everyone keep telling me that?" Havoc replied pulling out another cigarette and lighting it.

"So, Vine, when're you gonna tell us about that Valkri-whatever you were talking about earlier?" Ed asked.

"Valkyria, Fullmetal, honestly, it's not that hard of a word. Say it with me, Val-kyr-ia," Vine replied teasingly.

"Hey, shut up. So what are Valkyria?" Ed responded.

"Seriously? Ed, you don't know what the Valkyria are?" Cosette asked.

"Don't sound so surprised, Cosette, he is an Amestrian after all," Vine replied.

"Hey, that's not fair. I'm an Amestrian and I know what the Valkyrur are," Havoc replied.

"Same here," Colonel Mustang declared, "you really shouldn't make such general statements, Vine."

"I'll make a note of that. So, Colonel Mustang, since you're so familiar with the Valkyrur, why don't you fill our young friends in?" Vine suggested.

"Alright, I guess I can do that. Well, if you believe the accepted history, at least, thousands of years ago, the Darcsens, who are believed to be among the oldest civilizations in all of Europa, set out to conquer the entire continent using advanced ragnite weaponry, which they used to devastate most of the continent. According to the records, that weaponry destroyed over a hundred cities and 'slew ten hundred thousand men and beasts,'" Colonel Mustang began.

"Ten hundred thousand? You mean a million right?," Alphonse asked.

"To put it in modern terms, yes," Vine replied.

"Darcsens? Vine, aren't you…?"

"Ah, give the little man a prize, I think he's figuring it out. So what's it gonna be, Fullmetal? Dog? Monster? Inhumane Beast? I assure you, I've heard them all, so don't even think that you can surprise me," Vine replied sounding a little too overjoyed.

"Wait! So that's why those rebel guys are trying to kill the Darcsens is over something that happened a thousand years ago!"

"Thousands of years ago, it's plural," Vine replied.

"That's horrible!" Alphonse cut in.

"I knew I liked these kids. Anywho, sorry to interrupt, please continue, Mustang," Vine said bowing graciously to the other Colonel.

"Thank you Vine," Colonel Mustang said in an annoyed tone, "now, as I was saying, the Darcsens waged a war that enveloped all of Europa and threatened it's destruction. Until suddenly, the god-like Valkyria descended from the North," he continued.

"The North, like Amestris?" Ed asked.

"Noone knows for sure where the Valkyria came from, though it's likely they came from even farther north then the mother country," Vine replied, "what I do know is this. Bathed in blue light and wielding lance and shield, the Valkyrur descended upon Europa and decimated the Darcsens, thus bringing peace to Europa. The Darcsens were stripped of their last names and their property as punishments for their sins and continue to be a mostly indigenous people today. That is also where much of the anti-Darcsen feeling in modern Europa stems from today."

"So these rebel guys… they've started this whole war now over something that happened thousands of years ago?" Ed asked, "that's… that's horrible."

"Oh don't lose too much sleep over it, Fullmetal," Vine replied, "I certainly won't. They've been trying for years to wipe we Darcsens from the land since long before any of us were born and they'll be continuing to do so until long after we're all dead and buried. It's a sad truth, but it is the truth we have to live with."

"And what about you?" Ed replied, "you're a Darcsen, aren't you? Are you okay with that?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Hey, we're back! I can see Lanseal from here!" Avan shouted suddenly causing the entire squad to look up. Sure enough, Lanseal's bell tower could be seen in the distance.

"So that's Lanseal, huh. I'll admit, it's a lot bigger then I expected it to be," Colonel Mustang declared.

"Well, I guess this is home for awhile. I wonder if the Lt. Colonel is already there," Hawkeye declared.

"The Lt. Colonel… wait… which Lt. Colonel are we taking about?" Vine asked.

"Don't be ridiculous, Vine. We are of course referring to Lt. Colonel Hughes, certainly you remember him," Major Armstrong revealed

"Ugg, yeah I remember him. Tell me, does he still never shut up about his daughter?" Vine asked.

"I think he's gotten worse since the last time you saw him," Hawkeye replied.

"Great, just what I wanted to hear. Wow, and seeing as how he hasn't seen me since EWII broke out, I'm gonna get two years worth of it, aren't I. Last time I saw Elicia she was one. Hard to believe it's really been that long," Vine replied.

"Well, you'd better brace yourself, because you're probably gonna catch up real quick," Havoc replied chuckling.

….

"Ah, there you guys are. About time you got back," Maes Hughes was the first to greet the returning Squad G as they entered the gate.

"Well, here he is," Havoc said, "so Vine you just gonna…" he asked turning to look at Vine, who had completely disappeared, "hey, where'd you go."

"He hid behind the really big guy just before we came in the gate," Alexis replied pointing at Major Armstrong.

"Nice try, Vine, but that's not gonna work," Havoc declared.

"Can't blame me for trying," Vine replied poking his head out around Major Armstrong.

"Vine! Colonel Vine, is that really you! Man it's been forever, where have you been? How come you never stop by to say hello or spend the night with us in central. You know, Elincia was just asking me a few days before I left when the nice man with no name was gonna come and visit," Hughes declared running over to the Colonel.

"Oh, how cute. Of all the things she could have remembered about me, she chose the fact that I don't have a last name," Vine replied rubbing the back of his head, "Heh, I'll bet the little shrimps grown like a weed… dah!" he exclaimed suddenly covering his mouth. _Are you kidding me! Did I really just say that!_

"Well of course. It has been two years after all, but don't worry. Roy was so kind as to tell me that you were going to be here, so I took the liberty of bringing every one of Elincia's baby pictures with me since the last time you saw her, so you can find out everything you've missed."

"Are you kidding me!" Vine shouted angrily.

"Now don't get so excited Vine, I know Elincia's such a cutie that you probably can't wait, but I think we'd better report to Lt. General Kluivert," Hughes replied, sounding genuinely happy at Vine's supposed excitement.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I meant," Vine replied, "crap, I wonder if I can evade him for the entire war."

"Hmm, did you say something, Vine?"

"I said… I can't wait to see those pictures of your lovely daughter, Lt. Colonel," Vine replied trying to sound happy and excited.

"Nice save," Ed whispered which got him clocked on the head by Vine's fist.

"Quiet Shrimp."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP!"

"That never get's old."

….

"I see, so that is our situation. Very well, if that is what the Fuher believes is best, then it shall be an honor to serve under you, Colonel Mustang. I look forward to seeing the great Flame Alchemist in action," General Kluivert declared after Mustang and Vine had made their report.

"Thank you Lt. General. Your cooperation and support will certainly make this a lot easier on all of us. Also, I'll need access to all of your personnel files and your maps of the territories in the jurisdiction," Colonel Mustang replied.

"Done. I'll have them sent up to you right away, and I'll have the finest guest bedrooms in all of Lanseal set up for you right away," Kluivert replied.

"If it's all the same to you sir, I'd rather just bunk with the cadets," Vine replied.

"Oh, why ever would you want to do that, Raging Blast?" Kluivert replied.

"Sir, if I'm to be commanding these children for the next several months, then I need to know as much as I can about them. I can't find out what I need to know if I put myself above them. I think it will be best if myself, Fullmetal, and Fullmetal's brother, Alphonse, sleep, eat, and spend as much of our days as possible with the cadets. That'll also allow Colonel Mustang to make the most efficient use of their records and thereby make the most effective combat strategies the best use the students individual potential."

"I see. Well, your logic certainly seems sound to me. Very well then, I'll allow it," General Kluivert declared.

"Thank you, sir," Vine replied glancing out the window at the ground below, "what in the!" standing in the grounds bellow, wandering around as though she hadn't a care in the world, was the little blue haired girl from Leanbluff!

"Is something wrong Colonel?" Kluivert asked.

"Sorry, gotta go!" Vine said dashing out the door and nearly plowing over Avan, Cosette, and Edward as they walked down the hall.

"What the… HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING VINE!" Ed shouted irritably.

"No time for that now Edward! Come on, that little Valkyria girl is out in the campus grounds!" Vine shouted.

"What!" Avan shouted.

"Seriously!" Cosette replied.

"Hey! Wait up!" Ed shouted as the three followed the Colonel.

_What is she doing here_, Vine wondered to himself, _and if the kid is here… does that mean that Forster is here as well? Darn it. I'm getting a bad feeling about this._


	9. Chapter 9

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 9

MEMORIES

Vine and Welkin

**Opening Theme: Melissa (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

"Vine! Hey! Wait up! What do you mean that Valkyria girl is on the campus grounds!" Ed shouted.

"Are you talking about the same girl who saved us in Leanbluff! She's here!" Avan asked.

"No doubt about it. It's the same girl," Vine replied as the four of them dashed out of the school building and headed towards where Vine had seen the Valkyrur. She was still there.

"Whoa, you're right, that is her!" Cosette shouted. The girl heard them and turned to face them, her black hood blowing aside as she did, to reveal her blue hair. For the first time, Vine was able to get a look at the child. She had light blue hair and dark red eyes. Familiar red eyes that made Vine halt at the sight of them.

"Colonel, are you alright?" Cosette asked.

"I'm fine. It's nothing," Vine replied shaking off the feeling of dread that came with those red eyes. She wasn't the same girl. That woman was dead.

"Huh… oh hey, it's you shorty!" the girl cried pointing at Ed.

"Huh? WHO'RE YOU CALLING SHORTY! I told you to stop calling me that! You're no taller than I am!" Ed shouted. The girl just stuck her tongue out and giggled.

"Strange, she acts like a little kid," Avan said, "you sure she's a valkyrur?"

"Excuse me," Cosette said kindly, getting the girls attention, "hi, my name is Cosette. What's your name?"

"Huh?" the girl replied, obviously surprised, "oh, I'm Aliasse."

"Aliasse, huh?" Cosette repeated, "that's a nice name, but is it okay if I just call you Ali?"

"Huh? Uhh, sure, I guess so."

"Ali, huh?" Avan repeated, "so Ali, tell us. Is it true? Are you really a Valkyrur?"

"Huh? Well yeah, that's what Mama says at least," Ali replied.

"Mama. You're talking about Forster, aren't you?" Vine replied.

"Huh! Hey, you're that mean guy who was saying bad things about Mama!" Ali shouted.

"Darn right, Kid. Your 'mama' and I have a history, and it ain't a friendly one either, but… I guess that really has nothing to do with you," Vine replied, "so I'll leave you out of it for now. Maybe she'll prove me wrong, though I highly doubt it."

"Ooooo, what do you guys even want out here anyway!" Ali shouted.

"Oh, right!" Cosette replied reaching into her pocket, "well, since it's springtime, it's the perfect time of year to plant some flowers. I asked Avan and Ed to come with me and we were going to plant them. Do you wanna come with us, Ali?"

"I didn't know you had a green thumb, Fullmetal, or was the chance to go out with the cute blonde just to good to turn down?" Vine asked.

"Do you always have some smart mouth remark?" Ed asked.

"More or less."

"Flowers?" Ali replied looking at the seed, "do you eat them?"

"Huh? About as civilized as a Neanderthal I see," Vine said rubbing the back of his head.

"Colonel, if you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all."

"Yeesh, yes ma'am. I can't believe it, I just got told off by a cadet," Vine moaned sitting down on the ground.

"Come on, Ali, it'll be fun," Cosette said.

"Uhhh, okay!" Ali exclaimed as the two girls left together.

"Hey, wait for us," Avan shouted.

"You coming?" Ed asked turning to look at Vine.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

….

"Alright, we just need to find somewhere to plant," Cosette said, "what do you guys think?"

"I think you guys should step back a bit," Vine replied kneeling down, pulling on his alchemy gloves, and poking the ground, "this spot should be just about right," he declared putting his hand against the ground. The kids watched in amazement as a large chunk of ground in front of him rose up into the air.

"Whoa! Vine, what're you doing?" Avan asked.

"Something I learned from a frie… from an acquaintance of mine a few years ago. If you grow your flowers in a flower box, they'll have less trouble with weeds and they'll be easier to care for. Just need some wood to make a box and I'll put this back in the ground," Vine revealed walking over to a nearby tree, "excuse me Mr. Tree, you don't mind if I borrow just a little bit of wood from you do you? No, I thought now. You are most gracious Mr. Tree, your charity is greatly appreciated.

"He's talking… to a tree," Avan declared.

"He's weird," Ali said loudly.

"Still not the weirdest State Alchemist I've ever met, though he's definitely up there," Ed declared. Vine placed his hand on a low branch, cleanly breaking it off with Alchemy and brought it back to the patch of earth he had raised. Sticking the wood against the dirt, he put his hands against both and used his Alchemy. The two items glowed to bright to see for several seconds, and when the light faded, the dirt was back in the ground, but a small wooden box stuck several inches above it.

"There we go. That'll keep the seeds nice and safe and keep people from walking on them too," Vine declared dusting himself off.

"Right, now who has the green thumb?" Ed asked cheekily.

"Like I said, it's a trick I learned from an acquaintance of mine."

"This box is so big… we could plant a whole flower garden in it," Cosette said.

"Just take care of what you got and we'll worry about that later," Vine ordered.

"Okay," Cosette replied, "we've got 5 seeds. That's one for each of us," she revealed pulling out the seeds and separating them. "One for you Avan, Edward, and one for you Ali," she said handing each person a seed as she said their name, "and finally, one for Vine."

"I'm alright, go ahead and let Ali plant it, this is her first time after all," Vine replied.

"Oh… alright," Cosette replied, "here Ali. You'd better make sure you thank the Colonel."

"Who's the Colonel?" Ali asked as she took the second seed, laughing happily.

"Huh, he's the Colonel, Ali."

"Huh, no, he's Vine. That's what shorty said."

"DON'T CALL ME SHORT!"

"Uh… well you see Ali… he's also…," Cosette began, though she wasn't sure how to explain it to the young Valkyrur.

"Got that right, kid. The name's Vine and don't forget it. Please forgive dear Cosette, she tends to be a bit forgetful," Vine replied.

"Huh, but wait, I thought you told us not to call you Vine," Cosette replied.

"No, I told you couldn't call me Vine if I didn't like you. Well, now I like you. So you can call me Vine."

"Heh, alright Mr. Vine!" Cosette replied.

"Mr? Ugh, I don't like the sound of that," Vine replied, "just get your flowers planted."

"Yes sir," the cadets and Ali replied.

"So, how do you do it," Ali asked.

"Here, let me show you," Cosette replied, "all you have to do is poke a hole in the ground and drop the seed in it." As she instructed Aliasse, Cosette demonstrated by planting her own seek, "now you try it."

"Okay, just poke a hole and drop the seed in," Ali said as she did just as Cosette had done, "yay, I did it!"

"Good work Ali, you're a natural," Cosette said encouragingly, "now just cover the seed up with dirt and all you've got to do now is water it."

"Uh, speaking of which, did anyone bring anything to carry water in?" Ed asked as he finished covering his own seed.

"There's a fountain over there we can get water from," Cosette replied, "but… I forgot to buy a watering pail."

"Well, that's not good," Vine declared, "now what'll we…"

"There you are, Brother! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Alphonse voice called out, "what're you guys doing all the way out here."

"We're planting flowers!" Aliasse said enthusiastically, "here! I have one seed left! You plant one, big guy!"

"Big guy?" Alphonse asked taking the seed, "uhhhh, thank you."

"Vine, what're you doing?" Avan asked. Vine was standing over Alphonse, tapping the helmet of his armor gently.

"Getting water," Vine said taking Alphonse's helmet.

"Hey! What're you doing! Give me back my head!" Alphonse protested.

"Just plant your seed. No one's here to see and besides, I don't need it for very long," Vine ordered.

"Uhhh, oookay," Alphonse replied poking a hole in the ground and planting the seed Aliasse had given him. He'd just finished when Vine came back. He held Alphonse's head over the flowers and tilted it, causing water to sprinkle out of the two eye holes and drizzle gently over the newly planted seeds.

"Hey, you're using my head as a watering can!" Alphonse shouted.

"That sounds really weird when you put that way," Vine replied as the last of the water ran out, "there, that should do it. Here's your head back," Vine declared tossing the helmet back to Alphonse who quickly put it back on.

"Avan, I've got it! We should buy lots of flowers and plant our very own Class G flower garden!" Cosette shouted.

"Uhh, I think we'd need clearance for something like that," Avan replied.

"Hello, Colonel Vine! Raging Blast Alchemist and currently second in command over all of Lanseal! I think he can give us authorization," Ed declared.

"Yeesh Ed, when did you and Al enroll in Class G?" Vine asked, "I don't see why not. Sure, I'll give ya authorization."

"Awesome! Ed, Al, come on, let's go get the others!" Avan shouted.

"I'll go to the store and get the seeds!" Cosette declared firmly.

"I'll go with you," Vine declared, "Aliasse?"

"I'd better go home before Mama gets worried. Will I see you later?"

"You'd better, someone's gotta water your flower," Vine replied as the young Valkyrur ran off laughing happily.

"Bye bye!" she called waving at her new friends.

"Strange kid," Ed said standing up and waving back.

"You're one to talk, Fullmetal," Vine replied. _Still, that poor kid. What does Forster want with her?_

….

"is anyone here!" Cosette called as she and Vine entered the school store.

"Ah, Cosette. Back for more seeds already, huh?" the store clerk asked walking in from the back room, "hello. I recognize you, you're the new Colonel who just got here right? My name is Welvar, Welvar Glenn. Do I have the privilege of meeting the Flame Alchemist or the Raging Blast Alchemist?" the man asked extending his hand.

"The Raging Blast Alchemist. I'm Colonel Vine, pleased to meet you," Vine replied shaking the man's hand.

"Pleasure's all mine, Colonel, so what can I help you with?"

"Flower seeds," Vine replied eyeing the shelves, "ooooo, and that bread looks delicious. Throw on… you want one?" Vine asked.

"Uhh, sure, but I don't have much money," Cosette replied.

"Two small loafs of that bread," Vine declared.

"You got it, so will you be paying for this up front, or directly from your State Alchemist account?" Welvar asked ringing up the purchase.

"Uh, it's my…" Cosette began.

"Sorry, I had to leave in a hurry, so I don't have much cash on me right now. Let me use my account this once, and I promise I'll have cash next time," Vine replied pulling out his silver watch. Neither Vine nor Cosette had noticed a man standing in the far corner. He glanced at the two of them, but his gaze stopped on Vine.

"Could it really be him?" the man whispered quietly.

"Not a problem Mr. Vine," Welkvar replied taking the watch.

"Uck, there's that Mr. again," Vine groaned.

"Vine, you don't have to pay for this," Cosette protested.

"Cosette, how old are you?" Vine asked.

"Huh… uhhh 17, why?" Cosette replied.

"No way am I letting a girl who's 12 years younger than me buy my bread," Vine replied, "simple as that."

"Here ya go," Welkvar said handing Vine the bread, "it'll take me a minute to get the seeds out of the storage room, so please enjoy the bread.

"Thanks," Vine replied handing one of the loaves to Cosette.

"Wow, are you really that much older than I am," she asked as she took the bread.

"Guess so. Funny, I would have pegged you for sixteen. Ah well," Vine replied taking a bite out of the bread, "hey, this is good bread."

"It's the best I've ever had," Cosette replied, "Mrs. Gunther is really a terrific baker." Vine nearly choked on his bread when he heard the name.

"Wait a second… did you say… Gunther?" Vine asked, his eyes showing obvious shock and dismay.

"Yeah, she runs a bakery here. I'm pretty sure her husband is one of the professors here. Get this, the two of them are the leaders of Squad 7! The Squad that turned the tide of the war two years ago and saved Gallia! Proffesor Gunther's a real hero," Cosette declared.

"Heh, you… don't say," Vine replied, "this Welkin Gunther guy really must be something."

"Huh? How did you know his name is Welkin?" Cosette asked.

"Uhhhh, well if he's such a famous War hero, I probably just read it somewhere," Vine replied nervously.

"I don't think so. Just a second ago, you were acting like you didn't know anything about him," Cosette replied.

"Uhhhhhh…" Vine stuttered.

"Then it is you," the man in the corner spoke up and the sound of his voice caused Vine's eyes to widen with dismay. "Vine." The man stepped out where they could see him. He had short brown hair and wore a brown coat over a white shirt. "I can't believe it. It really is you, after all this time."

Cosette looked from Vine to the man, obviously confused. "Wait, if you know him, how come you were acting like you didn't?"

"Welkin Gunther, it's been a long time."


	10. Chapter 10

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 10

MEMORIES part 2

Friends

**Opening Theme: Melissa (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

For a while, both Vine and Welkin stood in complete silence. Finally, Welkin spoke.

"You're right, it's been way to long. Where've you been?" he said happily walking over to the stunned Raging Blast Alchemist, "Alicia and I wanted to invite you to our wedding, but you didn't exactly say much before you left. What've you been up to all this time?"

"Uhhhh oh, I've been in Amestris since the end of the war. They stationed me up north, but I slipped away when I found out about the trouble Gallia's in," Vine replied, still acting strangely dumbfounded.

"Right, when you heard the trouble we were in. More like when you heard about the trouble Archduchess Cordelia's in, right?" Welkin asked as a wide grin crept over his face and he started elbowing Vine gently in the ribs, "come on buddy, you know you can't pull one over on me."

"Hey, come on, I've told you before I've known Cordelia since she was a baby. By the way, I was 11 at the time. That's an 11 year age difference between me and her. She's more like a kid sister to me then anything."

"Alicia and I are six years apart," Welkin replied.

"You're kidding right. The span between me and Cordelia is nearly double what it is between you and Alicia. That's not even close," Vine protested.

"I think the guy protests to much," Cosette whispered to herself, giggling just a little.

"Hey, what're you finding so funny back there?" Vine asked glancing back at her.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Cosette replied.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Vine declared, "is Welvar still not back with those flower seeds."

"Your planting flowers?" Welkin asked, "that's surprising."

"Yeah, guess I hung out with the nature geek to long. You're starting to rub off on me Welky. I even used that ridiculous box thing you taught me."

"Welkin, sorry I took so long, thanks for waiting for me. A woman with long brown hair that was tied in two pony tails under a red bandana walked out of the back of the store. She stopped short when she saw Vine.

"Oh boy," Vine groaned.

"You know Mrs. Alicia, too?" Cosette asked.

"Yep," Vine replied sounding a little worried as Alicia slowly walked over to him, "Alicia, you're looking lovely today, I see your still…" he was cut short as Alicia slapped him.

"What'd you do?" Cosette asked.

"All you need to know kid, is that I deserved that," Vine replied.

"Vine! I can't believe it! It really is you!" Alicia shouted throwing her arms around the Raging Blast Alchemist, causing him to freak out a bit.

"Alicia! Hey, cut that out!" he shouted frantically trying to shake her off.

"What's with you? You never used to get like that when I hugged you," Alicia said smiling.

"Yeah, you also never used to be married when you'd hug me like that," Vine replied.

"Oh, come on Vine. You and Welkin are like brothers, that basically makes you part of the family," Alicia replied cheerfully.

"That was a long time ago, Alicia," Vine said looking down at the floor.

"What, so I'm supposed to believe you two aren't still the best of friends. It's only been two years, what happened?" Alicia asked sounding a little scolding.

"Hey, you got me Alicia. I'm hearing all of this for the first time," Welkin replied.

"Wait... what about?" Vine asked still sounding incredibly confused. His confused expression quickly turned to a sad one though as he spoke again, "what about… Isara?" The room fell completely silent for several minutes, leaving Cosette to wonder who Isara was.

"Actually," Welkin said calmly but sadly after a while of silence, "thanks for reminding me. I'm glad I got to see you again," he said reaching behind him and grabbing a briefcase. He opened it up and pulled out a small doll. It looked like a young girl whose short dark hair was covered by a red bandana. A red shawl with the Darcsen symbols running across the bottom of it covered the body, while the little hands that poked out from it were covered with white gloves. Vine was surprised to discover that two small transmutation circles, that looked identical to the circles on his gloves.

"What's this?" he asked, a little surprised by the doll.

"What do you mean, 'what's this?'" Welkin replied, "it's a good luck doll. Isara spent hours working on it. She said she used to stay up late at night, long after you'd gone to bed, so she could get ahold of your Blast Alchemy gloves to draw the transmutation circles. She'd just finished it and was going to give it to you when… well… you know?" He dropped the doll, revealing a long string that had been attached to the doll like a necklace. "She asked me to give it to you in her place," he revealed handing the doll out to Vine.

"Welkin… I… I can't…" Vine said looking at the doll. He was surprised when Welkin reached out, grabbed his arm, and forced him to take the doll.

"You can, and you will," Welkin declared firmly, "that's what Is wanted. She wanted you to have this." Both friends remained silent for several minutes before Vine finally replied.

"Thank you Welkin. I'll take good care of it," he declared slipping the small doll over his neck so that it hung over his chest, 'well… how does it look?" he asked turning to Cosette.

"Oh, it looks so cute," Cosette replied smiling broadly.

"That reminds me, Vine. What happened to that red cape you always used to wear?" Alicia asked.

"Red cape? That old thing? I haven't seen that thing since the war. I think I lost it on the Marmota, though I'm not entirely sure," Vine replied.

"That's too bad. I always thought you looked so dashing in that cape," Alicia replied.

"You think so? Well, I guess it wouldn't be too much trouble to make a new one," Vine declared, "I mean, I used Alchemy to make the first one so…"

"Don't even think about it," Alicia declared firmly.

"Think about what?" Vine asked.

"Making a new cape," Alicia replied as though it had been obvious.

"Wait, but you just said…" Vine argued but she cut him off.

"Vine if you make a new cape, I'll never speak to you again, and I'm serious this time," Alicia declared sternly.

"Okay, okay I won't make a new cape," Vine replied.

"Here're the seed's you asked for," Welvar said coming out with a few bags of seeds, "I think that's everything."

"Great, Vine let's head back. I bet Avan and Ed found the other members of class G already," Cosette said excitedly.

"I'll come too. I want to see Vine's handiwork," Welkin said, "you want to come Alicia?"

"I'll see you later, Welkin. I have something to do at home," Alicia replied hurrying out the door.

"That's weird. I wonder what she's up to," Welkin said scratching his head in wonder.

"Don't look at me. I gave up trying to figure out your wife a long time ago," Vine replied.

….

"There you guys are what took you so long?" Ed called as Cosette, Vine, and Welkin approached them.

"Sorry, bumped into an old friend at the school store. This is Welkin Gunther. Welkin, Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist," Vine replied.

"You're a State Alchemist, huh?" Welkin said cheerfully, offering out his hand to shake, "pleased to meet you."

"Oh, this isn't gonna be good," Vine said, realizing that Welkin had offered his hand to Alphonse.

"Darn it! What's wrong with you people! He's not the Fullmetal Alchemist! I am! Me! Me!" Ed shouted angrily.

"Oh… I'm sorry. I promise, I didn't mean any disrespect," Welkin responded promptly, "so who are you then?"

"That's Alphonse Elric. He's Ed's not so little brother, right short stuff?" Vine replied looking over at Ed.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SHORT!"

"Maybe I should quit, but it's just so much fun," Vine said rubbing the back of his head a little guiltily.

"So, what's the deal? Avan said something about a flower garden," Joachim asked anxiously.

"Oh I do so love flowers. Did you really give us permission to plant our own Class G Flower garden, Mr. Vine?" Marion asked.

"Come on people, just Vine! Where the heck did this Mr. thing come from?" Vine moaned, "But yes, I did authorize it, Ms. Marion."

"Where'd you get the doll Vine?" Avan asked pointing at the doll on Vine's chest.

"This thing?" Vine replied taking the doll in his hand and looking at it, "it's a good luck charm that was made for me by someone who was very important to me, Avan. Now, I think we'd better get started here. I've got seeds for all of you. Just find a spot, plant your seed, and don't forget where it is. If you'd like, I can put a marking for you so you remember where your seeds are located. Every day, it will be the responsibility of one member of your class to ensure that all the flowers are watered. If they don't receive water a day, the person who's day it was will run 20 laps around the drill grounds, understood?"

"Uh sir, what do we use to water them?" a Class G armored tech named Morris asked.

"Good question, Morris, right?" Vine replied glancing over at Alphonse who quickly covered his head.

"Oh no, you're not using my head as a watering can again!" Alphonse shouted, "just forget it."

"That thought never crossed my mind, Alphonse," Vine declared though he didn't sound at all believable. Turning, Vine strode back over to the tree he'd used a branch from to make the box. "Excuse me, sorry to bother you again, Mr. Tree, but I was hoping to borrow just a bit more wood from you," Vine said pulling on his transmutation gloves.

"Avan, is he talking… to a tree?" Zeri asked.

"He's weird like that," Avan replied.

"My thanks to you Mr. Tree, you are truly the very epitome of generosity," Vine declared transmuting off another small branch which he then transmuted into a watering can, "alright kids, this is a watering can. There are many like it, but this one is yours."

"Uh, Colonel," Renee called out, "I don't think there're very many watering cans like that one."

"Why's that, Ms. Renee?" Vine asked.

"I don't think there're very many watering cans that are made using alchemy but some weird guy who likes to talk to trees," Renee said smiling which got a chuckle out of most of Class G.

"Not bad, Renee. I guess I set myself up for that one. However, don't ever let it be said that I am not a sore loser. For that little slam, the first week of watering duty is all yours," Vine declared tossing Renee the watering can.

"Ah come on, are you kidding?" Renee whined in protest.

"That depends entirely on how nice you are to me between now and when you all finish planting your seeds," Vine replied.

"Oh, right, of course. I'm so sorry, please forgive me Mr. Vine. I promise it won't happen again," Renee said as sweetly as she could.

"Two things, don't make promises you won't keep and don't call me Mr. Alright, get work," Vine ordered.

….

An hour later, Class G was sitting happily alongside their newly planted and watered flower garden. Alicia had come about 10 minutes earlier and dropped over a batch of fresh bread which the cadets and alchemists were now happily enjoying. Alphonse sat watching as his friends happily picked at the bread. He was surprised when Vine tapped him on the helmet.

"Relax big guy," he said comfortingly, "after you get your body back, I'll get Alicia to bake a whole batch of bread just for you. You really haven't lived 'til you've tried that woman's baking."

"I'm curious Vine, how do you know so much about us? My brother and I, I mean," Al asked.

"Trade secret, Al. Just know that I'm pretty good at finding out stuff on people," Vine replied.

"Okay, if you're good at finding out stuff, then do you know anything about the Philosopher's Stone."

"Wish I could help you, Al, I really do, but I'm afraid I don't know anything about the stone. As far as I can tell, it's nothing but a myth."

"Oh, I see," Al replied sounding sad.

"Don't let it get you down kid. Don't underestimate a myth. The Darcsen Calamities a myth to, and you can see what it does. I know it's a bad example, but still… myths are usually at least based on truth."

"There you are," Colonel Mustang's voice called from behind them. Vine stood up and faced the Colonel.

"What's going on Colonel?" Vine asked.

"Bad news. We just found out that a rebel squad is preparing to march on a Darcsen community in the Diebal Mountains and you'd be surprised at how unwilling many of the squads at Lanseal are to do anything for a Darcsen community," Mustang replied.

"Try me," Vine declared.

"The mission has fallen to Class G, and I want you to personally oversee it. You leave first thing in the morning, so you might want to get some rest. Hmmm, what do we have here?" Mustang asked glancing at the flower garden.

"Class G Flower Garden sir," Vine replied, "little extracurricular activity I authorized for Class G."

"Fair enough. I'll look forward to seeing it when the flowers bloom. Get started making your preparations immediately, Class G. You'll be leaving at first light tomorrow," Mustang replied walking away.

"Alright, guess our break just got cut short," Vine declared finishing off his loaf of bread, "you heard the man. Get ready to be able to leave a first light. I'll see you bright and early, cadets."

….

In the Squad G classroom, the class members were busily preparing for what would happen the next day. Among the chaos, Ed and Al sat with several members of Class G, including Avan, Zeri, and Cosette, inspecting a map of the Diebal Moutains while snacking on what was left of Alicia's bread.

"The Diebal Mountains," Zeri said looking over the map, "this place is rich with Darcsen history. It used to be the site of several ragnite mines before multiple Darcsen revolts over the terrible conditions in the mines drew attention from human rights movements. Even though the mines are shut down, most of the settlers who live in the mountains are the families of the Darcsen miners who worked in them. A prime target for one of the rebels Darcsen purges."

"Darn it, so they're just gonna wipe out all of the settlements in the mountains," Ed exclaimed, "that's just wrong."

"It's no secret that Darcsen's have long been a race of pacifists. Our kind will not take up arms, even as our own people our slaughtered. That is why the rebels are so willing to attack our settlements," Zeri replied, "they know they can do whatever they want to us."

"That's terrible. How can they be so cruel?" Alphonse asked.

"So, you're preparing for the Diebal mission, are you," an annoyingly familiar voice declared from the class G Ed and Al looked back to see Julianna Everheart standing in the classroom entrance. "It's fitting that this mission should fall to the likes of you. It suits you perfectly."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ed asked coldly.

"The Darcsens burned and destroyed Europa. Only a fool would willingly put their life on the line to protect their kind," Julianna declared coldly.

"Your referring to the Darcsen Calamity," Zeri declared, "funny, I would have thought you smart enough not to believe in fairy tales, Julianna."

"Fairy tales? Hah, tell me, Darcsen, if the stories are nothing but fairy tales then why do your people not attempt to make the truth known? Why are they contempt to just lie down and accept the fate to which they've been condemned?" Julianna demanded. Zeri only stood silent at the accusation. "Nothing to say, Darcsen. I rest my case. Only a fool would risk their life for someone who unleashed such Hell upon our land."

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Edward shouted which caused even the loudmouthed Julianna to fall silent. Then Ed surprised the entire group by removing his red coat to reveal his Automail arm, "what does a pampered little princess like you know about Hell, huh! You're supposed to be some kind of elite soldier? Don't make me laugh. All I've seen you do is talk about how much better you are than everyone else for one reason or another, and now you wanna talk to me about going through hell. You don't know anything about what it's like to have everything you care about torn away from you! What do you know about the pain and suffering all the Darcsens in Gallia are going through right now! How can you call yourself a soldier when you're willing to abandon the people of your country over something that happened thousands of years ago! You're no better than the rebels!"

"Enough, Fullmetal," a friendly voice ordered as a firm hand grabbed Ed by the shoulder. Ed looked up into Vine's stern face, "spoken like a true Everheart. Void of any concern or caring for your fellow human beings. It's disgusting to see, but it's not only a problem with Squad A," Vine declared turning his attention back to class G, "I can see it your eyes as well. The hatred boiling just beneath the surface whenever you look at a Darcsen like me, Helmutt, Marion, Randy, any of you care to tell me I'm wrong?" his challenge was met with only silent looks in any direction but at either of the two State Alchemists.

"I can see it even now. Many of you think Julianna's right. You think you must be fools for being willing to lay down your lives for Darcsen dogs. If that's how it is, then there's the door, and I suggest you use it. If you can't stomach helping human beings due to some worthless prejudice, then you're relieved of duty and you can sit this out. Tomorrow morning, Fullmetal, Alphonse, and myself are heading for Diebal to save the lives of human beings, not just because they're my fellow Darcsens, and not just because it's my job as a soldier, but because it's the right thing to do. Because they're my fellow Gallians, and some madman has the gall to consider them fit for extermination, and I'm going up there even if every one of you decides you want nothing to do with this, so if your with me, it's your choice. I'm not forcing anyone," Vine waited for a reply, but shook his head in disappointment when none came, "well, I've said my piece, sorry about that, don't mean to get all doom and gloom on ya, but just gotta sometimes. Just wanted to give you something to think about. If your with me, I'll see you in the morning, if not… then I guess I'll see you when I get back." With that, the Raging Blast Alchemist brushed past Julianna and left the room. The Fullmetal Alchemist nodded his agreement and left as well, brushing rather roughly against Julianna as he left, followed by Alphonse. All the cadets, both Class G and Class A, stood in stupefied silence, not one willing to say a thing.

….

It was bright and early when Vine, Ed, and Al arrived at the front gate. Colonel Mustang was already waiting for them.

"Well it's about time. Is the rest of the Squad on their way?" Mustang asked.

"I'd be lying if I said I knew Colonel," Vine replied which caused Colonel Mustang to raise a curious eyebrow.

"What're you talking about, Raging Blast?"

"Well sir… you see…" Vine replied rubbing his head nervously.

"What the Colonel's trying to say is, he wasn't certain how soon we'd get here, but we're here now," Avan's voice surprised Vine and he turned to see that all of Class G had gathered at the gate.

"Bout time. You guys're late," Ed said giving Avan a thumbs up which Avan returned energetically.

"Sorry about that. I kinda overslept."

"Nothing new there," Zeri declared.

"Hey!" Avan shouted which got a laugh out of all the members of Class G.

"You kids. Remind me to give you more credit next time," Vine ordered, "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"You were right to, Colonel," Marion declared stepping forward, "I hope you'll forgive me. You were right, I've been unreasonable due only to me silly prejudice. I promise, it won't happen again."

"Heh, you know, I actually believe you," Vine declared ruffling Marion's hair, "now where's our tank. We need to get moving."

"So sue me," Lavinia's voice suddenly blared as the Squad G tank rolled up to the gate, "how can I help it if I'm always the last one to know, oh and how come I didn't get to hear any of this amazing pep talk Marion was telling me about, Vine."

"Be grateful you didn't, Ms. Lavinia," Vine declared, "I had to get more than a little irate with these kids yesterday."

"I'd ask, but I'm not certain I even want to know. At any rate, you'd better get going. You've got to try and beat the rebel forces to the mountains and keep them. If you can't pull that off, then you'll have to drive them off of the mountain one at a time," Colonel Mustang ordered.

"Got it. Just leave it to us Mustang. We'll handle this," Vine declared.

"Vine! Wait!" a woman's voice called. Vine turned to see Alicia and Welkin running towards him, Alicia of whom was carrying a modest sized box.

"What're you two doing up at this hour, and what ya got in the box?" Vine asked.

"I heard you were heading on a mission today, so I was up all night finishing this," Alicia said handing him the box.

"Hurry and open it. You've gotta go soon, don't you?" Welkin ordered.

"Alright, keep your socks on," Vine replied opening the box. He gasped at the sight of a beautifully sewn red cape, "so this is why you didn't want me to make a new cape," Vine said pulling it out of the box.

"I think I got the measurements right. Try it on and let's see how it looks," Alicia ordered.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Vine declared pulling the red cape over his shoulders, "perfect. Thanks Alicia, I owe you one."

"I'll remember that, now go kick those rebels butt," Alicia ordered.

"Again, don't have to tell me twice," Vine declared, "Squad G, move out!"


	11. Chapter 11

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 11

MEMORIES part 3

Isara

**Opening Theme: Melissa (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

Vine stood calmly, looking up at the night sky. A presence behind him caught his attention and made him smile.

"Gotta hand it to your brother, Is. He sure knows what he's doing. I probably would've blasted the entire wildwood to the ground by now. I can't believe he's actually managing to guide us through it. Heh, I don't care what any of the other guys say, Welkins certainly has my approval," he said, looking back at the cute young girl behind him. She had dark blue hair with equally dark eyes and wore a shawl over her shoulders bearing the same Darcsen markings that adorned Vine's headband.

"You shouldn't be so surprised, Vine. When it comes to things like this, there's no one smarter than Welks. He was the perfect choice for this mission," the girl replied laughing gently.

"Guess you're right. By the way, what're you doing still up. You know, there's a good chance we'll be fighting tomorrow. You need to get some rest."

"I know, but I just wanted to check up on you and make sure you're okay," the girl replied, "well, are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Okay?" she had looked so worried. Vine hadn't even known why.

"I'm fine. Don't you worry about me, squirt," Vine ordered ruffling the girls hair affectionately, "I'll be just fine, now get to sleep."

"Why do you always treat me like a kid?" the girl replied, "alright, I guess I'll see you in the morning then."

"Count on it," Vine replied giving the girl a reassuring thumbs up.

"Good night Vine."

"Good night, kiddo," Vine replied looking back up at the sky, "I promise, I'll always be there to protect you…"

_Isara._

…_._

"Colonel, there's the first settlement, just below us," Zeri said motioning down towards a small colony in the canyon below them.

"Darn it, looks like we're too late. The rebel forces are already there!" Avan shouted.

"Squad G, make your way down as fast as you can. Ed, Al, let's give those people a hand," Vine ordered stepping over the edge of the cliff after donning his Alchemy gloves.

"Right behind you!" Ed replied as he and Al followed.

"They just jumped off of a cliff!" Cosette screamed.

"They'll be alright," Zeri replied, "let's hurry down so we can back them up.

….

Vine was about halfway down the cliff when he slammed his hands against the wall, transmuting a slope of ice to slide down the rest of the way. Alphonse and Ed landed on the slope as well and the three Alchemists continued to slide towards the town. Down below, three rebel soldiers closed in on a Darcsen family, but three well placed shots of Blast Alchemy dealt with them effectively. Leaping from the edge of the slope, the three Alchemists arrived in the town.

"Alright, here's where the fun begins," Vine ordered, "keep your heads down. Shouldn't be a problem for you Fullmetal."

"You're a jerk," Ed replied as the three Alchemists roared into action.

….

"Welkin, you've gotta realize this is suicide. We've embarrassed Damon and now he wants us out of the picture," Vine shouted angrily, "come on man, think this through. I'm a State Alchemist now. By invoking my rights as an Amestrian Major, I out rank even a Gallian General. Let me get these orders wiped out before it's Squad 7 that's getting wiped out!"

"I have faith in my squad. We can pull this off," Welkin replied.

"Is that faith or pride talking. Marberry Shore is a death trap. You'll be sending every one of us to our deaths! I won't watch you march to your deaths. I'm not going with you either way," Vine declared.

"So that's it, after everything we've been through, you'd just quit like that? I guess that's your choice, but we have to do this Vine. If we don't then the imperials are just gonna continue to hold the area and they'll have one of the best strategic points in all of Gallia. We can't let that happen. We have to try," Welkin declared.

"Do what you will then, but I won't be held responsible," Vine declared sharply walking away.

….

"Vine isn't coming, Is. He's… been assigned somewhere else." Welkin had lied to her that night when she asked why Vine wasn't coming with them to Marberry shore. The next morning, Isara revealed that she had completed work and a special kind of smoke bomb that could be launched from her tank, covering the movements of forces on the beach. It would help, but alone, it would not take back the Impenetrable Fortress.

….

"Rosie, are you alright!" Isara asked helping her comrade against the back of the tank. Isara had been using the tank to provide cover while Squad 7's engineers had taken care of Squad 7's many injured. While Welkin continued to lay down cover with the smoke bombs from inside the tank, the rest of Squad 7 continued to try to push forward, but most were pinned down behind whatever makeshift cover they could find. It was a miracle no one had died yet, but things weren't looking good. Marberry shore's baren shoreline was vast and the sheer cliffs at their end made the perfect positioning for Imperial bunkers that even his prized tanks cannon had not managed to pierce. Vine had been right. This mission had been suicide.

"Darn it. What do we do?" Isara cried, "we're… we're going to die here."

"Darn it. What have I done? Vine could have stopped this but I wouldn't let him. I should have known better. He was right the entire time," Welkin cursed from inside the tank. Looking up the hill, he froze with fright as an Imperial Tank suddenly appeared at the top of the cliff and pointed its turret at the tank.

"No!" he shouted grabbing his wireless radio, "Isara! Get the wounded away from the Edelweiss!"

"What!" Isara cried, "Welks, what's going on!"

"Just do it! Hurry Is!" Welkin cried as the tank opened fire, "no!" Suddenly, a solid wall of earth rose, blocking the shell and kicking up a blinding cloud of dust. The Imperials watched in horror as a red beam of light shot from the cloud, pierced the tank, and destroyed it. The next beam of light cut into one of the bunkers, blowing away the gunners and weaponry within the bunker and causing the structure itself to collapse. As the dust cleared, a single, dark haired man could be seen atop the Edelweiss tank, his red cloak blowing magnificently from the wind of his own attack.

"Vine!" Isara shouted happily.

"What would you people do without me," Vine declared sounding a little annoyed, "alright Imperials, you've messed with my friends!" he shouted jumping down to the ground and placing his gloved hands against it. The rebels were horror struck as a giant cannon emerged from the ground, "so as payment, I'll give you a first-hand demonstration of why they call me the RAGING BLAST ALCHEMIST!" he shouted as a giant burst of blast alchemy shot from the cannon.

….

Two rebel soldiers shouldered their guns and pointed them at a cowering little Darcsen boy who had tripped in the snow! "Monsters! Takes a lot of courage to shoot a kid!" Ed shouted blasting in and cutting the guns in half with his Automail blade. The men were surprised and backed into Alphonse who clubbed them both over the head with his iron fist.

"Brother!" Alphonse shouted. Ed barely managed to grab the kid and duck behind Alphonse as a rebel tanks Machine gun open fired on them. Thinking quickly, Ed transmuted a giant pillar from the ground beneath the snow which he rose into the air, bent, and slammed into the tank. The tank crew was barely able to evacuate before the tank slammed into a hillside and was crushed.

"Alchemists! Traitorous dogs, die!" a group of rebels shouted running out to attack Ed and Al, only to be mowed down by gunfire. Zeri and Avan burst from the cover of the buildings and joined the two Alchemists. Squad G had arrived.

"About time, now let's run these rebels out of here," Ed ordered.

"You got it! Squad G, move out!" Avan ordered as the squad went to work.

A terrified Darcsen woman ran into an alleyway, but not before being spotted and pursued by a group of five rebel soldiers. A single blast of Alchemy blew all of the soldiers back out of the alleyway and into the street. Vine emerged from the alley.

"No pride or honor at all. Attacking defenseless women and children… you're scum, and you have the gall to say that I'm a dog," Vine said bitterly continuing past the dead and unconscious soldiers. One man struggled to his hands and knees and reached for his gun, only to be shot down by a sniper round. Vine looked up to see Nichol lying in the second story window of an old barn.

"I owe ya one, Martins!" Vine called giving Nichol a thumbs up before continuing up the hill. The first thing he saw at the top caused him to freeze for just a moment. Ten rebel soldiers stood behind one man carrying a giant hammer stood… over a young Darcsen girl with short cut hair, wearing a white shawl with Darcsen markings…

….

"Ahh come on, where the heck are they?" Vine moaned looking around the area from his perch high above the small base camp below. Wanting to watch for the Gallian relief squad that was supposed to be coming, Vine had transmuted a tall tower that allowed him to see for miles in any direction. Anything that came anywhere near the base would be spotted, "they sure are taking their dear sweet time." He glanced down below at where the company had set up their camp. Several small buildings dotted the ground below him, but they hadn't been tall enough to serve Vine's purpose. Isara looked up from the Edelweiss, spotted Vine looking down at her, and waved enthusiastically to him. He returned it smiling a bit. "Silly kid, gotta give her credit, after all she's been through. Can't believe I almost abandoned them today. Not one of my brighter moments."

"Vine, Darling! Can you give me a hand!" a voice called from below. It was another member of Squad 7, Edy Nelson. He shook his head smiling. It didn't seem like a day went by where Edy didn't need his Alchemy to help her with something.

"Be right there, Edy," Vine replied lowering his transmuted tower. How could he have known that they would come? How could he have known?

….

"Well that was even easier than what Edy usually asks for my help with," Vine declared walking back towards his look out spot. He stopped when he reached the spot and looked over at his Squad 7 friends. "Doesn't look like any of them even realized I left. Guess I'm sneakier then I thought. Hello, isn't that Rosie?" he asked aloud. Sure enough, Bridgette Stark, "Rosie" as she was affectionately (or in Vine's case, not so affectionately) called was indeed walking towards Isara. Of all the Darcsen haters Vine had ever met, Rosie had to be among the worst, and for whatever reason, Isara was one of her favorite targets. Normally, Vine would have moved closer to try and intimidate Rosie and keep her from picking on Isara, but today, he stopped himself for some reason. At first, he was glad he had, but in the end, he'd regret that decision for as long as he'd live.

"Isara," Rosie called. Vine was surprised that she was actually sounding as friendly as he'd ever heard Rosie sound. He relaxed a bit, but stayed close, just in case.

"Rosie?" Isara replied, obviously confused. Vine looked at Welkin and Alicia, both of whom shot him a confused look to which he could only shrug his shoulders.

"Hey, uhhh," she said pulling a Darcsen good luck doll from her pack, "I uhh, wanted to thank you?"

"The doll I made you," Isara said, sounding even more confused.

"You said… I was always supposed to carry it with me and that it would protect me from harm, right? Well, I wanted to thank you for it," Rosie continued, "so anything you want… just name it."

"Anything I want, huh… I know, I want to hear you sing Rosie," Isara said happily.

"You want to hear me sing?" Rosie repeated as though dumbfounded.

"Sure, you said you loved to sing. I want to hear you."

"Alright then, it's a deal. I'll sing for you then."

Vine had smiled as Isara and Rosie reached to shake hands. In that moment, it seemed like everything was okay. Like all the problems in the world were gone for just a moment. That all changed when a gunshot rang out and Isara fell backwards.

Vine had acted on pure rage and instinct. A daring little five man imperial squad had had a bet that their sniper could bag a Darcsen before the day was out. No payout could have been worth what Vine did to them. He was still covered in their blood when he made it to Is' side.

"Vine… can you do anything?" Welkin pleaded.

"I… I can't… there's nothing I can do," Vine cried. He couldn't look Welkin in the eye. Not now.

"Vine…?" Isara said weakly.

"I'm right here, Squirt," Vine said kneeling beside Rosie who hadn't let go of Isara's hand.

"Vine… I'm sorry… I've got to leave you now," is said sadly.

"What're you talking about kiddo? You're not goin anywhere, you're…" he couldn't say it. How could he lie to her again.

"Vine… promise me one thing… take care of… Welkin," Is pleaded.

"I promise kid. I promise…" he'd promised her he'd protect her too. In the end, he'd fail her again. Isara died smiling, surrounded by those she'd cherished more than her own life. Vine had not really smiled since that day.

….

Vine had stuck with Squad 7 for only a short time after that, when the accusations started coming. No one would accuse Vine directly, but several members of the squad would talk about it while they thought he wasn't around, and several times, they were wrong. He was supposed to be watching. Why hadn't he stopped them? How could they count on him after this? It wasn't long before the nightmares started coming and Vine began sleeping as little as possible to try to avoid them. He skipped Isara's funeral. He couldn't face her. They were right, he was supposed to be looking out for her and he had failed. Isara's death was his fault. Three weeks after the funeral, Vine was offered the rank of Gallian Colonel with in the regular army at the same time that he was promoted to Amestrian colonel for services rendered during his short time in Ishval. He'd accepted it as quickly as he could, just to get away from his squad. He could no longer bare to face those he cared for the most.

….

"I let her down… she trusted me and I let her die. Darn it… darn it… DARN ITTTTT!" Vine roared catching the attention of almost every person in the settlement. He charged in, throwing caution to the wind, killing the 10 rebel soldiers with savage alchemy blasts before lunging at the man with the hammer who barely managed to swing his hammer as Vine fired a point blank alchemy blast. The man was blown back. Vine glared up at him through cold, angry eyes.

"Baldren Gassenarl. I should have known you'd lead this yourself. I'll kill you! I'll kill every last one of you!" he roared as the son of Gassenarl stood to face him.

"Colonel Vine, the Darcsen Raging Blast Alchemist. You dare to stand against me!" Baldren Gassenarl roared in anger.

"Anyone who dares to threaten the peace Isara died for… will meet their end at my hand!" Vine roared grabbing a metal beam from a nearby house and transmuting his trademark sword, "find a safe place to hide!" he ordered the girl who quickly scampered away to hide.

"Do you think she can find anywhere to hide from me? I'll hunt her down and kill her. I'll burn every Darcsen on this hill to ashes! Nowhere a Darcsen dare crawl will be safe from me!"

"You're wrong Baldren. Anywhere is safe from a corpse!" Vine shouted charging at the rebel commander.

**Ending Theme: Let it All Out (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)**

"I swear, anyone who threatens Gallia's peace will die by my hand."

"Vine! Stop! Do you even see what you're becoming! If you keep this up, you won't come back to us!"

**Next time: THE WARRIOR'S PAIN Fullmetal vs Raging Blast **

"You're not gonna wanna miss it, right short stuff!"

"DON'T CALL ME SHORT!"


	12. Chapter 12

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 12

THE WARRIOR'S PAIN

Fullmetal vs Raging Blast

**Opening Theme: Melissa (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

"Avan! The rebels are beginning to fall back! We can do this!" Renee shouted.

"Where're the Alchemists! I haven't seen them in a while!" Zeri shouted.

"Worrying about the Amestrians Zeri?" Ed shouted dropping in behind the Darcsen cadet, "that doesn't sound like you. Who are you and what have you done with Zeri?"

"Alright, Ed's accounted for, where's Vine?" Avan asked.

"Nichol said he saw him heading up towards the church building on the top of the hill. I'm sure he's fine, but I wonder what he's doing up there. It shouldn't have taken this long to clear such a small area, especially for him," Cosette replied.

"Zeri, take charge down here. I'll go with Ed and check up on him," Avan ordered.

"Got it, keep your head down Avan, this isn't over yet," Zeri replied.

"I know that," Avan declared, "I'll be careful."

"Alright, let's go Avan," Ed ordered as the two headed towards the hill.

….

Sword clashed with hammer as Vine exchanged fierce blows with Baldren Gassenarl. It was obvious who had the advantage in technique, Vine was easily outclassing Baldren, but due to Baldren's heavy shield, he couldn't land a hit.

"Darn it, just die already!" Baldren shouted swinging his Maul.

"I could say the same thing to you!" Vine shouted ducking under the attack and swinging his sword which bounced off of Gassenarl's shield.

"Lord Baldren! We've got him!" a voice called from behind as ten rebel soldiers ran in behind Vine.

"Shoot him!" Baldren ordered as the soldiers raised their rifles. They were cut short, literally, however, as Vine swung his sword and produced a blade of Blast Alchemy which cut through the soldiers, killing them all.

"Coward, fight your own battles for once," Vine said coldly, "it's over Baldren, nothing is going to save you from my wrath!" Vine shouted firing a blast which Baldren blocked with his shield, "you realize you're only blocking those because I'm letting you, right? By concentrating the power of a blast into a thinner beam, I can produce a blast strong enough to pierce tank armor as though it were butter. You're only alive right now because I've decided it isn't time for you to die just yet."

"You dare threaten me!" Baldren hissed, "I'll have your head before this war is over!"

"Wrong Baldren, you'll be dead before this war is over!" Vine shouted charging again with his sword, "the only reason… I haven't… killed you… with a blast… is because… I intend to kill you… with my sword!" Vine roared between fierce sword strokes that Baldren had to block with his shield. As he shouted the final words, he swung so hard that it knocked Baldren backwards about a foot.

"Darn you!" Baldren shouted, "I'll make you pay dearly for this!"

"Let's see it then," Vine said coldly.

"Vine! We found you!" Avan called as he and Ed approached the Raging Blast Alchemist!

"Stay away you two!" Vine ordered, "this is my fight to handle, alone!"

"Curses, the Lanseal cadets are beginning to force us back," Baldren cursed, "how is this even possible. I suppose there's no choice but to withdraw. We'll finish this another day," Baldren declared.

"No we won't, you're not getting away Baldren, I'm not letting you run!" Vine declared coldly.

"Vine, come on man! It's over, just let 'em go! We did what we came here to do!" Avan shouted.

"No, it's not over. It won't be over so long as a single rebel still draws breath!" Vine shouted preparing to lunge at Baldren again. He was stopped as Ed grabbed his shoulder.

"That's enough, Vine. You won't accomplish anything that way. Just let 'em go this time. We won," Ed declared.

"Back off, Fullmetal," Vine ordered fiercely.

"Fullmetal? What, no short jokes today? Heh, you must really be having an off day."

"I said back off, Fullmetal. I won't tell you again."

"Listen to yourself Vine. This isn't you!" Ed shouted angrily, "I've never heard you talk like this!"

"Oh, so you've known me less than a week and you already know everything about me, Fullmetal! I said back off!"

"I know enough to be able to tell this isn't you! You won't accomplish anything letting anger and revenge control you! If you don't stop, you're just going to become another monster!"

"Hey man, we're done here. Come on, let's help the survivors and get back to Lanseal. Those flowers are gonna need to be watered soon, right? They don't have time to wait for us to get done foolin' around up here, am I right?" Avan asked hoping to calm down the Raging Blast Alchemist, and at first it seemed to be working as Vine stuck his sword into the snowy ground. Their hopes were soon crushed, however, as Vine grabbed Ed's arm, turned, and decked him on the left cheek.

"I told you to back off," he said coldly as Ed hit the ground. Standing up and rubbing his cheek. He clapped his hands together and formed his Automail blade, "I'm not gonna let you do this! Just listen to yourself! Vine, if you keep this up, then you're not gonna come back to us! You'll become nothing but a monster! I'm not gonna let that happen!"

"You intend to fight me, Fullmetal. You can get in a lot of trouble for opposing your commanding officer," Vine declared grabbing his sword again.

"I don't care! You'll thank me for this later!" Ed shouted charging at Vine and unloading on him with a barrage of slashes as Vine backed away, deflecting each attack with his sword.

"Fine, but don't forget, you brought this on yourself!" Vine shouted swinging the sword which glanced off of Ed's automail.

"Same to you!" Ed replied resuming his offensive. For several minutes, the two continued their fearsome exchange, neither one willing to back down even a bit. Soon, Squad G arrived at the scene.

"Avan! The rebels retreated! What the heck is going on here!" Zeri shouted.

"I don't know! Something's wrong with Vine, he's gone completely insane!" Avan replied.

"But why, is that really Vine? He seems like a whole different person!" Cosette exclaimed.

"Hey, come on you two, break it up! You're friends!" Rene shouted.

"It's no good Rene, they won't listen," Avan declared.

"Brother! Brother what are you doing! Stop this! You can't fight, you two are on the same side!" Alphonse pleaded.

"I'll stop when Vine starts thinking with his head and stops being an idiot!" Ed replied as the two blades locked.

"I warned you, Fullmetal," Vine declared lashing out and kicking out and knocking Edward back. Ed regained his footing quickly, but as he did… a blast of Alchemy cut through his foot. "That'll keep you from scampering around while I remove that Automail arm!" he shouted lunging at Ed with his sword raised!

"Brother!"

"You idiot, did you forget! My left leg is Automail, too!" Ed shouted launching up and preparing a stab attack.

"This is bad. They're going to kill each other if they keep going!" Zeri shouted.

"Stop it!" Cosette screamed running forward.

"Cosette! Wait! You'll get hurt!" Avan protested going after her. He was too slow, however, and Cosette stepped between the two charging Alchemists!

"Cosette!" Ed shouted.

"Cosette move!" Vine shouted.

"Please stop! Friends shouldn't fight like this," Cosette pleaded, "please… PLEASE STOP!"

"Cosette!" Avan shouted. As the two alchemists, both tried to stop, slipped on the snow, and slid past Cosette on either side.

"I don't even wanna think about how close that came," Ed sighed as he stopped against a snow pile.

"You can say that again, Short stuff," Vine replied sliding on his butt until he came to a stop and fell onto his back, "Cosette, you idiot, you could have gotten yourself killed. That was completely reckless."

"It would have only been reckless if I hadn't thought you two would stop…" Cosette cried, dropping to her knees and beginning to weep.

"Cosette…" Vine sighed sitting up.

"HEY WAIT! STOP CALLING ME SHORT!"

"Huh, you're about two sentences late Fullmetal," Vine declared though he didn't sound like he was even in a mood for jokes, "you alright, Fullmetal?"

"What do you think!" Ed shouted, "I just fell flat on my face!"

"That's not what I meant," Vine said looking at the ground.

"Huh, hey, don't even start acting like you care about hurting my feelings with those short cracks, cause I don't buy it for one second!"

"You idiot, are you really that clueless!" Vine shouted angrily.

"Don't Vine," Ed replied, "don't even act like you didn't know that you were shooting my automail leg. You know you can't hurt me like that."

"Cosette…" Avan asked kneeling down next to Cosette who stopped crying.

"I'm alright," Cosette declared standing up, "Colonel." Vine glanced over at the Squad for just a second.

"Colonel, the rebels have pulled out. We need to see if there're any survivors who need our help," Avan reported, "what do you want us to do?"

"Don't, Avan. Don't act like nothing's happened. I'm stepping down as your commanding officer. This little display has more than proved that I'm not fit to lead. Look at me. I've had to be lectured by children, and to make it worse, I've put one of you in danger. Do what you need to do. You don't need my order anymore," Vine declared looking back at the ground. Avan hesitated and looked back at his Squad mates for support.

"Colonel," Franca shouted getting Vine's attention again.

"Sorry sir, you're not the one who gets to make that call," Reiner declared smiling.

"Yes, Colonel Mustang is the only one who can tell us we don't have to take your orders any more. So we're waiting for your command, Mr. Vine," Marrion said polietely as ever.

"Besides, you think we'd let anyone else order us around. Sorry pal, you're stuck with us, cause we don't want anyone else," Avan declared, "who else is gonna keep track of who's gotta water the flower garden?"

"Hey, speaking of that, do… I still have the whole first week?" Rene asked smiling. Vine sat in stupefied silence before shaking his head.

"You stupid kids," he cried as tears began to well up in his eyes, "I swear, if my eyes freeze because of you, you're gonna run all the way back to Lanseal. What're you all standing around gawking for! Spread out and search for survivors!"

"You got it dude!" Lotte shouted.

"Y… yes sir!" Nichol replied.

"You heard him guys! Squad G, move out!" Avan ordered as the team headed out to look for survivors, leaving Ed, Vine, and Alphonse alone on the top of the hill.

"So, you gonna tell us what that was all about now, or are you gonna make us wait?" Ed asked.

"Sharp as a tack, Fullmetal," Vine declared, "it's a long story."

"We've got some time," Ed replied.

"I guess so. Well, here's the short of it, during EWII, I was assigned to Squad 7 with Welkin and Alicia, whom you met at Lanseal, and Welkin's adopted little sister. You young Darcsen girl by the name of Isara. She was the same age as Cordelia and even looked a little like her, maybe that's why I took an almost instant liking to her, and for whatever reason, she seemed okay with me. I wasn't a State Alchemist at the time, but it was no secret that I was as still as good as they came concerning Blast Alchemy. Since I was born in Gallian, and a Darcsen no less, the fact that I was learning Alchemy had pretty much isolated me from my fellow countrymen. Even today, there aren't many Darcsen's who'll even acknowledge my existence. Isara was the exception. Aside from Cordelia, Isara was at the time, the only Darcsen who was willing to accept me even after I was certified as a State Alchemist. She was a good kid and I loved her so. She died because I failed to look out for her. It was my responsibility to keep her safe and I failed. An imperial Squad snuck into camp while I was supposed to be on lookout. Their sniper had made a bet that he could kill a Darcsen girl before the sun went down. Is died for a stupid bet. When it happened, I lost control. I slaughtered those men like they were animals, and I didn't even care. It's funny, Isara always said the thing she liked the most about me was that I had the strength to not kill, but when push came to shove, I killed without hesitation or remorse, and seeing those rebels today, about to kill a little Darcsen girl for no better a reason, that same feeling came over me, and I just wanted to butcher them all. I wanted them to know what it's like to live in fear, knowing that any second, someone could end your life for no reason at all, except that he thought it would be funny to shoot the little Darcsen girl… while the guy who should have been watching out for her wasn't looking. You must think me pretty pathetic, Fullmetal. You wouldn't be wrong, I think that myself. I certainly don't deserve the support of you or the squad. If there were any justice in this world, I would have died during the war two years ago, but I survived. I certainly would have deserved that."

"You think so?" Ed asked not sounding convinced.

"Umm… excuse me," a girl's voice called. The three Alchemists looked up to see the Darcsen girl who Vine had saved, standing behind them, still looking frightened.

"It's okay Sweetie, come here," Vine said gently as the frightened child ran to him and buried her face in his chest, "there now, there's no reason to be scared any more. They're not gonna hurt you again. What's your name Sweetie?"

"Sarah," the girl cried looking up.

"Sarah, huh, that's a pretty name. Where're your parents, Sarah?"

"Momma and Papa are in the church… but they… they won't wake up!" the child cried. All three of the Alchemists glanced sadly at one another as the child began to weep into Vine's chest.

"It's gonna be okay, don't cry Sweetie, we'll take care of you, don't worry. I know someone who'd just love to have a good little girl like you around. Her name is Alicia and she's gonna have a baby soon. I'm sure she'd like to have someone to help her take care of the kid, and her husband Welkin's a very nice man. A little bit of a loony sometimes, but still nice, I think you'd like him. What do you think, Sarah, you wanna meet Welky and Licia?" Vine asked comfortingly. The child just nodded. "Alright, we'll take you with us to meet Welky and Licia then," Vine declared standing up, still carrying the child in his arms, "we'd better go you two. Class G's probably about ready to head back."

"Right," Ed declared, "Hey Vine. I don't think you deserved to die during the war two years ago, but I do think you deserve our support. Oh, and I know you deserved that," he said pointing at the kid and smiling. Vine was a little taken aback, but he still smiled.

"Thanks, Fullmetal," he declared.

"And as soon as we get back to Lanseal and drop of the kid, you also deserve my fist in your face for punching me!"

"Way to ruin the moment, Mouse."

"Don't call me a mouse! I don't even like cheese!"

"You two, I swear, what am I gonna do with you?" Alphonse asked.

"Feed me, love me, never leave me."

"What?"

"No idea, but it was the first thing that came to mind."

"Your funny," Sarah said giggling.

"You're right kid, he is funny, but don't worry Vine, looks aren't everything," Ed said chuckling.

"Neither is height, Fullmetal."

"STOP CALLING ME SHORT!"

**Ending Theme: Let it All Out (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)**

"Alright, now that that's over, time to get some food and sleep."

"Come on Avan, is that all you do is eat and sleep."

"Hey, that's not all I do."

"Right, occasionally he fails a test."

"Thank's Brixy, I knew I could count on you."

"Vine… Vine…"

"Easy Welky, try breathing, it'll help, I promise."

"Vine… Alicia… Alicia's been kidnapped."

"Say What!"

**Next Time: A PROMISE TO KEEP Return to Bruhl**

"I don't care if it's outside Lanseal jurisdiction, I'll go alone if I have to!"


	13. Chapter 13

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 13

A PROMISE TO KEEP

Return to Bruhl

**Opening Theme: Melissa (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

"Ahh, after being in those cold mountains, Lanseal never looked so good!" Avan shouted loudly.

"Avan, hush, Sarah's finally asleep," Cosette ordered in a scolding tone, carrying the sleeping Darcsen child in her arms.

"Whoops, sorry about that," Avan replied more quietly, "alright, time to eat."

"It's always time to eat for you," Ed sighed, "don't you ever do anything else?"

"Of course I do other things," Avan protested, "like…"

"Like sleeping," Zeri declared.

"That's not true, I…"

"Ah, there you all are," a voice called. Avan looked up to see that Class G's teacher, Hubert Brixham, was walking towards them. He was carrying a paper, "As long as we're talking about Avan, I'd like to add something to the conversation. Avan also fails tests, in fact, he continually sets the standard for lowest score ever seen at Lanseal, and if you don't believe me, you should take a look at this."

"Ah man, is that my test, Brixy? Ah man, give it to me easy, did I get a zero?"

"No Avan, you didn't get a zero," Brixham replied handing Avan his test.

"Phew that's a relief, at least I got… NEGATIVE TEN! Is that even possible!" Avan screamed as Sarah woke up.

"Good work, Avan. You set a world record for most pathetic score and you woke the kid. How the heck did you get a negative ten?" Ed asked taking the paper and looking at it, "well, I can see you you got the zero, I can't read a single answer."

"It took me an hour to figure out what the answers all said, and they were all wrong, thus the zero. Then I took off 10 points for its apparent lack of readability."

"No kidding," Vine declared glancing over Ed's shoulder, "it looks like it's written in an ancient language."

"By the way, who's the child?" Brixy asked glancing at Sarah who was still looking around in sleepy confusion.

"Professor, we found her in Diebal. Her parents were both killed, and we couldn't just leave her," Cosette replied.

"No, I suppose you couldn't, but what do you intend to do with her?"

"I'm gonna talk to Welkin and Alicia, see if they can help me find somewhere for her to stay," Vine replied, "don't worry, Professor, I'll take care of it."

"Very well, you must be tired, so I'll excuse you all from your classes for the rest of the day. Get some rest, now," Brixy ordered, "and I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Doesn't mean you're off the hook with the flowers though, Renee," Vine declared as they started to walk towards the school cafeteria, "better hurry and get them watered." Just then, they walked past the garden and Vine glanced down at it. The ground was wet as though it had been freshly watered! "What in the heck? Never mind Renee, someone beat you to it."

"Huh? Do you think it was Ali?" Cosette asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Vine replied, "wonder how she found the watering can."

"Vine! Vine, thank goodness! You're finally back!" a voice shouted. Vine looked up to see Welkin running towards him, almost completely out of breath.

"Take it easy, Welkin, what's wrong?" Vine asked as Welkin bent over to catch his breath.

"It's… it's Alicia. She went to Bruhl to visit a friend, but now Bruhl's been taken by the rebels. I just received word that they've taken Alicia prisoner along with the rest of the villagers!" Welkin revealed.

"What!" Vine exclaimed, "you're kidding! What interest would the rebels have in Bruhl. The towns so small and was devastated during the war!"

"It was finally beginning to rebuild. They'd repaired most of the mills and the houses and everything was finally looking like Bruhl would be alright, and now this happens. I can't figure out what the rebels want with Bruhl, but that doesn't matter! Vine, will you help me? I have to save Alicia!" Vine didn't hesitate for even a moment.

"Those rebels are gonna regret ever messing with Squad 7s Dynamic Duo," Vine replied holding up his arm, "give me five minutes to report to Colonel Mustang and get leave from Squad G and we'll head out."

"Thank you, Vine. I knew you'd be willing to help me," Welkin replied, happily raising his arm and putting his forearm against Vine's.

"Alright, Fullmetal, get ready to go, you too, Al," Vine ordered.

"Got it, we'll be ready when you get back," Ed replied.

"What about us, Colonel?" Avan asked.

"Sorry kids, Bruhl is way outside of Lanseal's jurisdiction. You're out on this one," Vine declared, "Cosette, I'll have to ask you to look after Sarah while I'm gone. We'll see you all when we get back with Alicia," Vine replied dashing for Colonel Mustang's office as quickly as he could.

….

"You're really intent on going to Bruhl then?" Colonel Mustang asked after Vine had told him the story, "why is that? Why are you so determined to save this woman?"

"She's a friend Colonel, that's all the reason I need," Vine replied.

"You realize that you aren't going to be able to take any of Lanseal's cadets, including Squad G? I'd send them with you if I could, but Lt. General Kluivert would have to authorize it for me to send them outside Lanseal's jurisdiction, and that stubborn old mule isn't going to do that."

"I'm aware sir. I've had to many bad run ins with Gallia's highest ranking officers to expect Kluivert would even think to send help for me, but… I made Licia a promise. I promised her that I wasn't going to let any more of my friends get hurt, and she's one of those friends. I'm going to help her, even if I go alone."

"Which I know you're not. I'm guessing Fullmetal is going with you, and I know that Welkin Gunther has been given time off. Given that he's supposed to be the hero who saved Gallia during EWII, I highly doubt that he is going to leave his wife. Do you know if he's managed to contact any of your old friends from Squad 7?"

"Given that this is an internal conflict for Gallia, protocol dictates that the Gallian government is forbidden from organizing a Militia force to attempt to deal with the problem. Since Squad 7 was part of the militia, that means that the group is still currently disbanded. I honestly don't know whether or not Welkin can scare up any help for this at all. Most of the old Squad mates could easily their hands on weapons and gear, but trying to contact and organize them is another matter entirely. I think Welkin, Ed, and I are on our own for this."

"I see. Well, seeing as how you promised, I'm not foolish enough to think I'll stop you, so all I can do is wish you good luck… and order you to take Major Armstrong with you. He's under my direct command, so I can send him where I please. No need for Gallian approval. It seems Gallia and Amestris have a lot in common when it comes to its highest ranking officials. All we can do is do everything we can to wriggle past their restrictions and regulations in order to get the job done the way we know how to. Good luck out there, Raging Blast."

"Thank you, Colonel Mustang," Vine replied, saluting the colonel, "I'll see you in a few days."

"Alright, see that you do. We can't afford to lose you just yet," Mustang ordered.

"Don't worry about it, I can't die yet. I haven't fulfilled all my objectives."

….

Ed, Al, Welkin, and Avan were waiting by the main gate when Vine arrived. "Alright, we're all set," Vine declared, "here to see us off Hardins?"

"Vine, let me come with you. You'll need all the help you can get," Avan pleaded.

"Stay put, Hardins. Your class needs you here. We'll be fine. I'm not worried in the least," Vine replied.

"But… fine, but you guys had better promise you won't get killed."

"I've already made that promise to a lot of people, Hardins. I can't let myself get killed anyway."

"That goes double for us," Ed replied, "we're gonna trash those rebels and bring Alicia home to Lanseal."

"Alright you guys, we're burning daylight, let's go," Vine ordered, "lead the way, Boss."

"I'm not the 'Boss' this time, Vine. You're a colonel now, an Amestrian Colonel no less. This time, I'm following your orders," Welkin replied.

"Hah, you follow my orders? That's rich. Face it Welky, you know your way around Bruhl a lot better than I do. Only a fool would cling to petty things like line-of-command if it meant throwing away that kind of advantage. Now let's go," Vine ordered as the Alchemists and the former militia leader left Lanseal for Bruhl.

….

Vine sat atop a looking affectionately over the little town that lay down below him. In the fading sunlight, it looked just as it had the first time he'd seen it so long ago. Back then, people like Welkin, Isara, and Alicia would have just been another face in the crowd. It wouldn't be until much later, after Isara's death, that Vine would even discover that this was their home. Captain Varrot, the officer who was in direct command of Welkin's forces, had come to him asking him to use his status as a newly promoted Colonel of Amestris to get Squad 7 the chance to liberate the town from Imperial forces. Vine's only regret was having not been there when they pulled it off. He hoped that this would be enough to make up for his absence that day.

"Alright, the sun'll be down soon, and then we'll have the advantage. We need to try to move in quietly and find where they're keeping the prisoners. Any thoughts, Welks?"

"If I were the rebels, I would keep the men and the women and children held separately in each of the Sister Mills at the center of town. Since they're at the center, they're easier to defend and more difficult to reach without being spotted. Then there's the fact that there's two towers. If you separate the town watch from their families, they won't dare take any action because they'll be afraid of what might happen to their families. I'll bet the Edelweiss that that's where they are."

"Well, that complicates things, how're we gonna get all those people out once we're in? It's not going to be easy," Major Armstrong declared kneeling down next to the two planning comrades.

"When we get there, I'll transmute Alicia a lance and shield. That's all she'll need," Vine declared.

"Huh, Lance and shield? How will that help," Ed asked.

"Alicia is a Valkyrur, just like Aliasse. She won't have any trouble with a few rebels," Vine replied.

"Whoa! Really! Alicia is just like Ali!" Alphonse exclaimed.

"Vine, there's only one problem. Alicia's pregnant," Welkin revealed.

"Pregnan… what! No way, are you serious! Congratulations Welkin! I can't believe it! You're gonna be a dad…dy, oh crap, I see where you're going with this. If Licia were to strain herself by drawing out her Valkyria power, it could have negative effects for the child. Alright, that plans out. Guess we'll do this the hard way. The four of us will divide into two teams and draw the rebels attention to opposite sides of the city while Welkin and Alicia lead the villagers out of the city right out through the middle of us. If we can cause enough of a ruckus, we can draw off enough of their attention to allow Welkin to handle any stragglers and get through. Man, I'd sure feel a lot better about this if we had the Edelweiss with us. Oh well, nothing we can do now, we'll just have to do what we can."

"I tried to call some of the others, but I don't know if any of them got the message. I wish I could be more help, but I'm just not as strong as the rest of you," Welkin replied sounding depressed.

"Don't sell yourself short, Welks, you've got the most important task of this mission. We're all counting on you to get the villagers out of here. That takes priority over securing the town right now. Leave Bruhl to the rebels, it's the people who matter, right."

"I agree with you Vine, but why not take the town back if you can, darlings?" a woman's voice called from behind them. The voice was all too familiar to both Vine and Welkin.

"Please tell me that wasn't…?" Vine began.

"I think it was," Welkin replied before Vine could finish the question.

A dark, silver haired woman with her hair tied into two pig tails stood behind them, carrying a sub machine gun and wearing an old Gallian military uniform.

"Edy Nelson. I can't believe it."

"Oh, it's not just me, Vine, darling. When I heard I got the whole team together again," Edy replied.

"Which whole team?"

"Why, the Edy Detachment, darling," Edy replied as though it had been obvious. As she gave her introductions, five other men and women emerged from the dark woods behind her. Vine and Welkin smiled as they recognized each one of them.

"Heh, the infamous Edy Detachment, huh?" Vine sighed, "just our luck to get stuck with them, eh Welky?"

"You certainly haven't changed, Vine," a girl with her long brown hair tied into pony tails which hung over her shoulder.

"And neither, apparently, have any of you. Susie Evans, Marina Wulfstan, Jann Walker, Homer Peron, and of course, my fellow Darcsen, Ms… no Mrs. Lynn. Man, am I glad to see you guys," Vine replied.

**Ending Theme: Let it All Out (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)**

"Well, here's our situation. We know that the citizens of Bruhl are being held somewhere in the center of town. We need to find them, rescue them, and cause a distraction so that…"

"Oh, don't worry darling, the Edy Detachment is on the job."

"Will ya let me finish?"

"Hang on Alicia, your old friends are here to save you."

"Uh guys, seriously we…"

"Such passion, such devotion, it brings a tear to my eyes! I swear on my muscles that I Alex Louis Armstrong will…"

"Major, not you too!"

**Next Time: HOMECOMING Return to where they first met.**

"This is what we called a wasted preview."


	14. Chapter 14

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 14

HOMECOMING

Return to Where They First Met

**Opening Theme: Ready Steady Go (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

Vine stood in a treetop, waiting patiently as the sun descended the final few feet. When the sky was dark, he dropped down beside Welkin and Edward.

"Alright, let's get this done," Vine sighed as his comrades finished their preparations for the operation. "How're you holding up, Welks?"

"It's strange, Vine. This is where I first met her, just down by the river. I saved her then, too. Then, only a few days later, we met you and the others. It all started right here in Bruhl. I can't believe we'd come back under these circumstances."

"Heh, I guess it would be. I wasn't there, so I couldn't tell ya, but I know this… Welks, if I died today and went to heaven, I know for a fact that I'd still be too scared to ask Is for her forgiveness for what happened that day, let alone for running away from you guys when you needed me the most, heck, I can't even build up the courage to ask you or Licia or any of my other old friends, but I know this. Helping here today is at least a step, and after meeting the Elrics, I'm sick of standing still and I'm not running away anymore. It won't make up for what happened that day, but I'll be darned if I let this go. We'll save Licia, Welks, that's a promise," Vine declared, "and this time, I won't break it."

"Vine, is that why you left the Squad?" Welkin asked, "you felt responsible for Is' death?"

"It's time, let's get this done," Vine ordered beginning to descend the hill towards the town.

"Vine… you really do never change," Welkin sighed, "how can you think that that was your fault?"

….

"Hey, you really think the military will try to do anything against us here?" a rebel soldier asked, sitting by a scouting fire.

"Are you kidding? You heard the boss; they'll be too worried about the hostages to even try anything. It's an easy plan, we set up the Ragnite in the mill at the center of town, the one we've got the women and the little ones in, they give us what we want, we leave, and when they go in to rescue the women, we blow the Ragnite and level the whole town. Sure, the townsfolk'll die, but it's an unfortunate sacrifice to ensure our victory. We can't be stopped, no matter what the cost is."

"You say that so casually, but I wonder if you'd be so casual if it was your family that was being sacrificed," a voice declared. The second rebel looked up to see Edward standing over the unconscious form of his comrade. The man stood up and was about to shout an alarm when Alphonse's metal fist crashed against his skull, knocking him unconscious. Vine emerged from the shadows, extinguishing the flames with his alchemy while Ed and Al hid the two unconscious soldiers, binding and gagging them with alchemy to make sure they wouldn't wake up and alert their allies.

"So that's they're plan, they're gonna lure a military squad into the town to rescue the hostages and blow it. Even Baldren couldn't be so cowardly as to come up with something like this," Vine cursed, "especially given that Bruhl doesn't have a very large Darcsen population. This doesn't add up."

"It sounds like they've already made demands of the military. How long do you think we have before they make a move," Welkin asked.

"Depends on what idiot is in charge of the squad that'll be dispatched here. Whether they meet the demands or move in immediately doesn't make much of a difference, as soon as they move, Licia and the townsfolk are all dead. We've got to hurry, Edy can you read me?" Vine asked into a wireless communicator."

"I hear you, Darling, what's going on?" came a reply.

"Edy, we just found out what they're doing in Bruhl. They're holding the women and children at least at one of the sister mills, along with enough Ragnite explosives to level the town. They're waiting for a military unit to arrive, then they're going to abandon the town and blow it when the unit moves in to rescue the townspeople. We don't have a lot of time, so we need to change our plans. We need to deal with the explosives as well as rescue the hostages now. If we're not careful, Bruhl's gonna become a crater."

"Alright, what do you want us to do?"

"We'll deal with the explosives, but once that's done, we're going to have to clear out the rebels. This mission just changed from an escort mission to a search and destroy. We can't risk one of the rebels detonating the Ragnite manually while we're trying to escape. Be ready to fight as soon as I give the order."

"Yes sir."

"Well, if we've gotta hurry, let's take the easy way," Ed declared using alchemy to raise an earth stairway up to the roof of the nearest building. The team reached their target quickly by using alchemy bridges to cross from building to building. Moving quietly to a window, Vine glanced inside. A few dozen women and small children were tied up and gagged in the center of the room while rebel soldiers finished stacking several boxes of glowing, blue ragnite in the far end of the mill. Two figures stood alone near the ragnite pile. One was a tall rebel soldier who Vine could only assume was the commander. The other was Alicia, who stood with her arms tied over her head and secured to the back wall. Vine couldn't make out what the commander was saying, but he certainly didn't like the way he was touching his friend.

"Not good, the ragnite's in there, along with five rebel soldiers, two of which are uncomfortably close to the explosives," Vine declared as Welkin glanced through the window.

"That can't be," Welkin gasped, "that officer… he's… Ivir."

"Ivir? As in the EWII hero, General Ivir? What's he doing here?" Vine asked.

"He's no hero, Vine," Welkin declared, "in fact, I don't have any trouble believing that it was him who came up with this plot. He's a ruthless man, whose actions resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties during the war. Alicia called him out on it once, and he tried to have her court marshaled.

"I heard about that," Vine replied, "in fact, I'm the one who killed the request. I didn't think Alicia would question a superiors orders without good reason, but I was called in to active duty before I could investigate the situation. So it was him, then huh? That's not good, so he knows who Alicia is and he has a grudge against her. That explains why he's singled her out."

"We've got to hurry. Who knows what he might do to her if we wait to much longer."

"I have a plan," Vine declared, "give me five minutes, then bust in and incapacitate all the guards as quickly as you can." Ed, Al, and Welkin watched as Vine disappeared around the other side of the mill.

"Alright, I guess we'll just have to leave the explosives to Vine," Ed declared, "here's my plan, when we go in, I'll blow out the back wall with Alchemy and kick up a sawdust cloud to blind the soldiers. That'll give us a chance to move in and deal with them while they're distracted."

"Alright, I'm ready," Al declared.

"Me to," Welkin replied.

"Then it's time, let's go!" Ed ordered clapping his hands and transmuting the wall, causing the wooden wall to turn to sawdust and blow outwards. The soldiers were completely unaware and Ed and Al quickly knocked out the 4 soldiers. Ivir, however, reacted too quickly, pointing his pistol at Alicia's head and stopping Ed, Al, and Welkin in their tracks.

"Mmmmmm!" Alicia shrieked through a thick cloth that was tied in her mouth.

"Welkin Gunther, I'll admit, I'm impressed. I didn't expect you to be so bold. Alicia and I have just been… catching up. I was hoping to see her here, after she ruined my career. See, after that stunt she pulled and that darn Darcsen pulled out my request for a Court Marshell, Archduchess Cordelia started poking her nose where it didn't belong. I lost my command as a result of that you know."

"You attacked Bruhl because you were hoping to get back at Alicia! Your own actions cost you your position, Ivir, not Alicia's! I would have thought you would have been executed!" Welkin replied in anger.

"Oh, they tried to, but I was too quick for them. I fled south and signed on with Gassenarl first chance I got. Now, here I am, about to get my revenge and weaken the military all at the same time, or at least I was, until you showed up."

"It's over, pal," Ed declared transmuting his automail blade, "why don't you just give up!"

"Give up? And give up my chance at revenge?" Ivir replied, "you must be mad, little one. All I have to do now is pull this trigger and dear Alicia's pretty face will be blown all over the wall."

"You try it, and the only thing that'll be blown all over the wall is you, Ivir," a cold voice declared behind him. Vine stood behind him, an Alchemy gloved hand pressed against his back, "you make any movements, and you'll be dead long before you pull the trigger."

"Vine!" Ed called, "nice work!"

"Colonel Vine, speak of the Darcsen. This couldn't be more perfect," Ivir declared lowering his weapon, "ahhh, looks like I've been beaten, but I should warn you, I'm a sore loser. Let's all die together!" Ivir shouted raising the gun suddenly and firing a bullet… into the ragnite explosives.

"Mmmmmm!" Alicia screamed.

"No!" Welkin shouted running forward, hoping to shield Alicia from the blast, while Ed and Al prepared for the worst… but the blast never came.

"What the…" Ivar cried in dismay.

"Fire a hundred bullets if you'd like, Ivar, but it won't explode. Did you really think I'd be that careless? While you were preoccupied with my comrades, I turned every last ounce of liquid Ragnite in that container into simple water. It won't blow up now," Vine revealed.

"No… how did you… this can't be the end. This isn't over!" Ivir roared beginning to point his weapon towards Alicia and Welkin. Vine couldn't hesitate, and he didn't. He just shot a blast which passed clean through the rebel commander. Ivir fell limp instantly, unable to even pull the trigger of his gun before he died.

"You two okay?" Vine asked glancing over at Alicia and Welkin. Welkin had just removed the gag from Alicia's mouth and was busy untying the ropes. Alicia could only nod weakly in response. "Good, I've got it, Welks," Vine declared firing a thin blast that cut through the rope. Alicia fell forward, but Welkin was there to catch her.

"Hang on, Alicia, you're going to be alright now," Welkin said reassuringly as Vine ran to them and began to check Alicia for injuries.

"She's alright, just exhausted," Vine declared when he was satisfied Alicia hadn't suffered any serious injuries, "lie her down, Welks, and let her rest." Vine helped his two friends as Welkin laid Alicia on her back while the Elric brothers busied themselves freeing the other prisoners.

"W… Welkin… Vine… you came," Alicia sighed weakly, but happily.

"What, you didn't think we wouldn't, did you?" Vine asked, "soon as I walked in the front gate, that husband of yours was practically begging me to come and help you. I couldn't say no."

"Ah, knock it off, Vine," Ed called back, "don't act like you were just as eager as Welkin was."

"Can it, Short Stuff!"

"THERE YOU GO AGAIN! WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SHORT. YOU COULDN'T SEE HIM STANDING UP IN A KIDDIE POOL, SO SHORT HE'D GET LOST UNDER A MAGNIFYING GLASS OR THAT YOU WOULDN'T SEE HIM AND CRUSH HIM LIKE AN ANT!" Alicia laughed heartily as Fullmetal and Raging Blast stared each other down.

"Heh, you've certainly found a wonderful new friend, Vine," Alicia said happily, "I'm glad. You seemed so sad before."

"About that," Welkin said softly, "Vine… we need to talk, about Is." Just then, automatic rifle fire sounded from the other mill."

"What the…" Ed gasped.

"Welkin, the men are imprisoned over there!" Alicia shouted.

"Darn it," Ed shouted as Vine, Al, and he bolted. They didn't bother with the door, simply blew another hole through the walls of both mills and charged into the second mill. As they'd feared, five more rebels were firing their weapons into a sea of bound and gagged men and older children!

"Stop it!" Edward shouted, cutting through the guns of two rebels with his automail blade before kicking them both in the stomach and knocking them out. Alphonse punched the third one in the face while Vine shot the remaining two through non-vital areas with Blast Alchemy, incapacitating all five rebels, but the damage was already done. A dozen men lay dead with at least 20 others writhing from the pain of severe injuries!

"No way, how could they do this! These people were defenseless!" Alphonse shouted.

"Edy, move in!" Vine ordered into his communicator, "we've got wounded and they need medical attention now!"

"Vine, Homer is our only engineer! How many injured are we talking about here!" Edy's reply came.

"A lot more than one Engineer can take care of. We need a real field medic," Welkin declared as he and Alicia ran into the mill and began inspecting the wounded.

"Vine, is there anything we can do?" Ed shouted.

"Not unless one of you knows Medical Alchemy. Unfortunately, I don't," Vine revealed, "darn it, how could we have been so careless."

"I swear, what would you do without me?" a familiar voice called from the wireless, "you owe me for this Vine, I'm taking a chance of not having my novel out by the release date to help you out here."

"Vine is that…?" Welkin asked.

"Nadine?" Vine called into the wireless.

"She's not alone! It's been a long time, Boss, Raging Blast!" another voice called.

"Largo!" Welkins shouted.

"Potter?" Vine said in surprise.

"Looks like you could use a hand! Alright, Engineers, get to that mill and tend to those wounded. The rest of you sevens, let's run these rebels out of Bruhl!" Largo shouted over the communicator.

"Largo, who's here with you!" Welkin asked.

"We're all here, Welkin," a woman's voice replied which Welkin recognized as belonging to Juno Coren.

"Well not all of us. Rosie's still traveling abroad and couldn't make it," it was a man's voice this time, Vine's fellow Darcsen, a man named Wavy.

"Sorry we're all late," another voice called, a woman named Catherine O'Hara called.

"Is that O'Hara? How the heck did you find her? Last I heard she was living a hermit's life in the mountains?" Vine asked looking over to Welkin.

"Does it matter?" Welkin replied.

"Guess not. Alright, you two stay here and wait for the Engineers, Ed, Al, let's give Squad 7 a hand!" Vine ordered. Ed and Al, however, had already run out the door and where charging into town. "Hey! What the heck! Wait for me!"

….

Faced with the loss of their commander and Squad 7's surprise attack, the rebel forces soon surrendered, only inflicting minor injuries to Squad 7. The Engineers had already finished treating the more severely wounded towns people and an army squad had arrived to take care of the rebel prisoners.

"Gotta hand it to ya, Welks. You've gotta be the only guy I know who can round up such a large squad of soldiers when the militia is out of commission," Vine declared, "I don't even think I want to know how you tracked most of these guys down."

"I'm a little surprised myself. I didn't know if I had done any good at all," Welkin replied.

"Raging Blast, it's been awhile, hasn't it," Largo shouted.

"Heh, Largo. Yeah, I guess it has, hasn't it. I think you've actually gotten bigger ya farm nut. What've you been eating?" Vine asked punching his former squad mate in the chest.

"Vegetables, you might try 'em once in a while," Largo replied.

"I'll keep that in mind," Vine replied.

"Ah, how beautiful! The power of the bonds between these friends is a wonderful sight to behold!" Major Armstrong shouted crushing Vine, Welkin, Largo, and two other Squad 7 members in a massive bear hug.

"Gah! Air… leaving lungs… sky… growing dark… goodbye… cruel world…" Vine gasped as he was crushed by the massive Major.

"Are you Colonel Vine?" a soldier asked approaching the group. Vine squirmed out of Armstrong's grasp.

"That's me," he said facing the soldier, "something wrong."

"A message sir, from Colonel Mustang. A rebel squadron under the command of Audrey Gassenarl has descended upon the city of Yuell. Since you're already out, the Colonel is ordering you and your squad to Yuell to deal with the situation."

"Did you say… Audrey?" Vine asked sounding surprised.

"No way… Yuell?" Ed gasped.

"Something wrong, Fullmetal?" Vine asked turning to look at his friend.

"Vine… Yuell… Yuell is Cosette's hometown!"

**Ending Theme: Uso (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)**

"Edy, do you really have to follow us? I told you to go home!"

"I will darling, but I'm going to visit my sister first. She's in Lanseal, so I figure I'll come with you for now."

"Wait, Anisette is really your sister!"

"Brother, Vine, we need to focus!"

"Right, Yuell's in trouble, and it looks like the military is taking heavy casualties. We need to turn this around."

"Poor Cosette. Word of this has to have reached her by now and since Yuell's out of Lanseal's jurisdiction, Squad G can't do anything about it."

"Don't be so sure guys, we're here to help!"

"Zeri!"

**Next Time: Battle in Yuell COSETTE'S TRIAL**

"Alright, Squad G, move out!"


	15. Chapter 15

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 15

BATTLE IN YUELL

Cosette's Trial

**Opening Theme: Ready Steady Go (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

"Cosette!" Avan shouted, "Let's see, one of these rooms has to be hers, but which one? Ahha, found it. Hey, Cosette! You in there? You left your book at the library! They asked me to bring it to you!" Avan shouted knocking on the door.

"Oh, hey Avan! Come in, the doors not locked!" Cosette shouted from the other side. Avan nodded then opened the door and walked in. Cosette sat on the edge of her bed looking through a text book, "Thanks Avan, I was wondering where I put that," she said taking the book from Avan.

"Sure, man Cosette, I gotta say, you've gotta be pretty smart. I couldn't understand a word of that book," Avan declared, "it's a medical textbook, right? You said your dad was a doctor. Did he teach you this stuff?"

"A little bit. My father was a doctor in our hometown of Yuell. Everyone loved him so much, he just couldn't sit still when he knew someone is in need. I don't think there was a single week where he didn't take the family to a poorer village or settlement while he helped the people there. I want to be just like him, and that's why I enrolled at Lanseal," Cosette replied looking fondly at the book.

"He must have been a pretty great guy. I wish I had gotten to meet him. Well, I guess I'd better get going, see you in class, Cosette." Avan turned to leave, but as he did, there was a knock on the door.

"Huh, uh come in," Cosette called. The door opened and Coleen walked into the room.

"Cosette, I'm so sorry, I just heard," Coleen said, gasping as though she had run a long way.

"Heard what, Coleen?" Cosette replied.

"Yuell," Coleen gasped, "Cosette, Yuell has come under rebel attack!"

"Yuell? Cosette, isn't that your home!" Avan exclaimed.

"But… but why? What would the rebels want with Yuell? No, this can't… the city will be destroyed again," Cosette said collapsing to her knees, "No… not again. Daddy… and Mama… they… this can't happen!"

"Let's talk to Colonel Mustang, he's an Amestrian Colonel so maybe he can send us to Yuell to help out," Coleen suggested, "otherwise, it's too far north for us to do anything. The regular army is getting wiped out."

"Good idea, Coleen, go to the class room and tell everyone else to start getting ready. I'll talk to Mustang and get us permission to go. Come on Cosette. Mustang's a good guy, he'll let us go once we explain things, I know he will."

"R… right," Cosette gasped, obviously dazed at the news of what was happening to her home.

….

"Colonel Mustang, please, you have to let us go help out in Yuell!" Avan pleaded. He and Cosette had gone straight to Mustang's office and were now pleading with the Colonel for permission to go.

"I see. So Yuell is Cosette's home. Usually I'd say no, but it seems there're special circumstances this time. The Generals of the main army are too proud to admit that they need help, but even so, that doesn't change the fact that they just don't have the manpower to push the rebels out. I can give you permission to go, but I'll need clearance from Lt. General Kluivert to be able to use his troops outside of Lanseal's usual jurisdiction. That shouldn't be a problem though. The two of you get ready to move out, I'll let you know as soon as you're clear to move out," Mustang replied standing up, "I'll go talk to Kluivert right now."

"Thank you, you're the man, Colonel Mustang!" Avan shouted, "Cosette, let's go get suited up and ready to move!"

"Right, thank you… so much, Colonel Mustang!" Cosette said bowing respectfully.

"This is terrible timing. Lt. Hawkeye, send a messenger to Bruhl, tell Raging Blast and Fullmetal what's happened and tell them to get to Yuell as fast as they can," Mustang ordered.

"Is that such a good idea, sir? Vine and the Elrics have been going almost nonstop since the mission to Leanbluff," Hawkeye replied.

"That's true, Alphonse will be fine, but I'm certain Vine and Ed are reaching the limits of their durability by now. Even so, we don't have much of a choice in the matter. As you already know, those two are far from normal. They were no doubt exhausted when they returned from Diebal but they wasted no time heading for Bruhl. They'll be alright. Now I need to go speak to Kluivert and get Squad G authorized to move out," Mustang replied leaving the office.

….

"Hurry guys, we need to be ready to move as soon as Colonel Mustang gives us the okay," Avan ordered as Squad G frantically prepared to move out.

"Calm down, Avan. You shouldn't get your hopes up," Brixham cautioned.

"Why not, Brixy?" Avan asked, "Mustang said."

"Colonel Mustang is drastically underestimating the Headmaster's distaste for Amestrian soldiers. Listen, Avan, it's not my place to say, but I'd be very surprised if Kluivert agreed to this. He'll deny you for no other reason than that Colonel Mustang is the one making the request," Brixy revealed.

"What! Why would he do something like that. Brixy, if we don't do something, then a lot of people are going to die!" Avan shouted.

"Professor Brixham is right, Avan," Colonel Mustang declared entering the classroom, "all of you, stand down. You're not going anywhere."

"Mustang… what do you…?"

"Kluivert has denied my request to use the cadets of Lanseal to conduct operations outside Lanseal's jurisdiction. This is nothing more than foolish arrogance, but we're obliged to respect his orders," Mustang replied, "you're all ordered to stand down, what's more, any class G members who leave Lanseal campus without permission will be subjected to the harshest punishment possible. I'm sorry, but you'll just have to let this go."

"Just let it go! How can we…!" Avan began to shout.

"Let it go, Avan," Brixy cautioned, "Colonel Mustang is right. We have no choice in the matter. Alright, Squad G, stand down. We're not going anywhere."

"Grrr, Darn it!" Avan shouted punching a wall.

"No… this can't," Cosette cried collapsing to her knees.

"Cosette…" Avan said sadly glancing at his distressed friend.

"I signed up here at Lanseal so I could protect my home and keep what happened to me during the war with the empire from happening again… but now…" Cosette sobbed burying her face in the classroom floor. Colonel Mustang watched sadly, then turned to leave. Hawkeye met him as he was leaving the main academy building.

"Colonel, the message's been sent and Vine is on his way to Yuell right now," Hawkeye declared.

"That was quick Lieutenant," Mustang replied.

"Vine had just wrapped up in Bruhl and there was an army battalion nearby who received my wireless transmission, sir," Hawkeye replied, "they delivered the message directly to him."

"I'll admit, that's the first bit of good news I've received all day. Yuell is just a little north of us, correct?"

"Yes sir. It's only a few miles outside Lanseal's northern most jurisdiction. Sir, your office isn't this way," Hawkeye realized smiling slyly.

"You're right, Lieutenant, this is the way to the main gate. Vine was that almost every general in Gallia was as stubborn as Kluivert. Well, if the Gallians are too hung up on protocol to clean up their own messes, we Amestrian's will just have to do it for them. Who knows, by the time we're done here, the people in general might appreciate Amestris' leadership more than their own, with the exception of Archduchess Cordelia, of course."

"Of course," Hawkeye replied as the two Amestrian's headed for Yuell.

….

Cosette stared sadly up at the summer sun. The day was warm, but Cosette was still wearing her heavy military uniform. She had been to depressed from Colonel Mustang's news to even change back into her summer uniform.

"Cosette," Avan called causing Cosette to snap back into reality and look over at him. He too, was still dressed in his combat uniform, "come on, we're going. Even if it's just the two of us, you can't just leave your home, can you?"

"Avan, but… Mustang said…"

"I don't care what Mustang or Brixy or the Headmaster have to say. I can't stand seeing you like this. It'll work out, don't worry. If we can turn things around in Yuell, Kluivert won't be able to do anything to us," Avan replied, "but even if he does, I'm not letting you suffer like this anymore. I'm going to Yuell, you with me?"

"Avan…" Cosette replied in astonishment as joyful tears started to spill out of her eyes, "why… why would you put yourself at risk for me like this?"

"Something my brother told me once. He said that 'my friends suffering is my own.' Whenever I was hurt or scared or angry, he was always there for me, helping me face it. Well, now it's my turn to help my friend, Cosette. Now let's go take back your town," Avan replied gently as he turned to begin walking to the gate.

"I should have known you'd try something like this," a voice called behind them. It was Zeri.

"Zeri, hey man, you here to help us out, too?" Avan asked.

"I came to stop you too from getting yourselves killed. If you go to Yuell, you'll just be throwing away your lives and dragging Lanseal's good name through the mud," Zeri replied.

"So what? We have to at least try, don't we?" Avan responded.

"I never told you why I came to Lanseal, did I, Avan," Zeri replied, "I came here, because I intend to crush anti-Darcsen prejudice. I came here, because I intend to become a hero, and I can't have you screwing that up for some lost cause. If you go, all you'll do is sully Lanseal's reputation and…" Zeri wasn't able to finish his sentence as Avan's fist slammed into his jaw.

"Avan! What're you…!" Cosette protested.

"Become a hero? Don't make me laugh. A hero for what, playing it safe long enough to be promoted? If being a hero means you can't put everything on the line to help a friend who's suffering, than I say to Hell with heroes. I'd rather just be a nobody if that's the case. I'm going to Yuell. If you wanna stop me, Zeri, then you'd better go get Colonel Mustang, and tell him he'd better be ready to kill me," Avan declared walking past Zeri. Cosette hesitated for a moment and then followed Avan. Zeri just watched in surprised silence as his two classmates began their journey to Yuell.

….

Yuell, a medium sized town located in central Gallia, had been reduced to ruins during the Empire's invasion of Gallia. After the war, the townspeople had begun to rebuild and the town was finally starting to gain some of its former glory. The sight that welcomed Avan Hardins and Cosette Coalhearth did not tell that tale, though. The town was once again reduced to ruins as Artillery and gunfire crashed all over the city.

"Man, why… how could anyone do something like this. This is awful," Avan declared looking around at the decimated city. Behind him, Cosette whimpered. Avan realized that Cosette was trembling fiercely and seemed to be in shock.

"Hey, Cosette… are you okay?" Avan asked.

"Huh, I'm… fine," Cosette replied trying to smile, "see… just fine. It's just that there are more of them than I thought there'd be."

"No kidding. There's way too many of them for us to have a chance of getting through. Darn it, now what do we…" Avan was cut off by a loud crash behind them. The two cadets turned to see a Rebel tank had just crashed through a wall. Cosette froze, spotting what looked like a human arm sticking out from under the rubble from the destroyed wall.

"Cosette… we need to go now!"

"No…" Cosette cried, shuttering uncontrollably, "M… Mommy… Daddy…!"

"Cosette!"

"GET DOWN AVAN!" a familiar voice shouted. Avan tackled Cosette to the ground as a flash of red light shot over them, cutting through the tank and destroying it.

"Cosette!" Edward shouted as he and Alphonse ran to their friend's side and knelt next to her.

"Are you alright?" Alphonse asked.

"She's in shock," Vine revealed, "Yuell suffered heavy losses during the Europan War two years ago. If Cosette was living here then, I'd bet my Silver Watch that being here is traumatizing her. Avan, what the heck are you doing here?"

"Colonel… we came to see if we could do anything to help," Avan replied.

"She can't do anything in this state," Vine sighed, "Cosette, hey, can you even hear me?"

"Of… of course, really Colonel, I'll be fine," Cosette replied standing up. She'd stopped shaking, but her voice was still trembling. Vine hesitated for a moment before he spoke again.

"It can't be helped now, I guess, but stay close to one of us, Cosette, and let us know if this becomes too much for you. Where're the others?"

"Uh, well, you see…" Avan began but his explanation was cut short as his wireless transponder suddenly flipped on.

"We're a little behind, sorry we're late, Colonel," Zeri's voice called from the transponder.

"Zeri?" Avan called in surprise.

"Honestly, how do I keep letting myself get talked into these crazy plans of yours. What's your situation?"

"We're out manned, out gunned, and pretty much out everything elsed," Vine replied, "long story short, we're not in a good spot right now."

"We'd be doing alright if you hadn't sent those Squad 7 guys home," Ed moaned.

"I told you already, Shrimp, Squad 7 is a militia squad that is not in active service. It was risky just getting them together for the makeshift operation in Bruhl. There's no way we'd get away with forming an illicit militia squad on an actual military battlefield. We're taking a risk just letting Edy stick around."

"Edy! Edy who!" Anisette's voice shouted through the wireless almost deafening Avan and the others.

"Oww, I can definitely tell you two are sisters now," Ed groaned.

"Anisette, darling is that you!" Edy shouted, surprising Avan who hadn't noticed her coming behind him as she grabbed the wireless.

"Sister Edy! What are you doing here!"

"Oh, Anisette, I just decided it was time I came to visit you. I want to see one of those wonderful concerts you always write home about," Edy replied.

"Concerts?" Avan repeated as Vine snatched the radio and began hitting Edy repeatedly on top of her head.

"We need to focus!" he shouted.

"Oww, Vine, please don't hit," Edy pleaded.

"Colonel, I can see an armory warehouse in the center of town, do you think you can reach it?" Zeri asked.

"You kidding? You're talking to the Raging Blast Alchemist, here. What do you need us to do?"

"Alright, I have a plan. We need a distraction, so the rest of the Squad and I will keep the rebels busy. You and Avan get to that warehouse and blow it sky high. That should break the rebel's communication lines and give us a chance to counter attack."

"Great plan, Zeri, you're a genius man," Avan declared.

"Compared to you at least," Zeri replied, "we'll buy as much time as we can, but don't screw up."

"Relax, this shouldn't be too much trouble. We'll rendezvous when it's done to plan our next move. Let's do this, Squad G," Vine ordered as his small team began to make their way to the warehouse.

**Ending Theme: Uso (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"Ah man, this isn't gonna be easy."

"Look at all those tanks. We might be in a little bit of trouble here."

"We shouldn't be surprised; after all, this force is being led by Audrey Gassenarl, the rebels armored division commander."

"Audrey…"

"You're not gonna lose control and make me kick your butt again, Vine"

"Not this time, mouse."

"DON'T CALL ME A MOUSE!"

**Next Time: COLONEL AND LIEUTENANT A Face from the Past**

"To think we'd someday fight on opposite sides."


	16. Chapter 16

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 16

COLONEL AND LIEUTENANT

A Face from the Past

**Opening Theme: Ready Steady Go (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

Vine's team was able to get to the arms warehouse without much difficulty, but once they were there, getting inside proved to be a little trickier.

"This'll be tough. In such close quarters, those tanks'll rip us apart if they see us," Vine declared.

"Can you just fire a giant blast and destroy them all in one shot?" Avan asked.

"That's not gonna work. Quick lesson, Avan. The amount of power a blast contains is predetermined by the surface area of the object being used to transmute it. That power doesn't increase or decrease, it just gets spread out, which weakens a blast, or compressed, which strengthens it. Trying to fire a blast that large as I am right now would produce nothing more than a light show that slightly warms the air. That wouldn't harm an infantry unit, nevermind a tank.

"If we just take them out one by one, though, they might spot us before we can get them all," Ed sighed, "that's not good."

"Sounds about right. We're gonna have to get into that warehouse, Ninja-style," Vine revealed.

"So, how're we gonna sneak in?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, transmuting an entrance would probably attract attention. We can't use Alchemy to get in," Al declared.

"Let's think about this. We need to find another point of entry. Window, ventilation shaft, mouse hole, anything we can use to get inside," Vine declared.

"Why do I get the feeling the mouse hole bit was directed at me," Ed whined.

"There's a window up there," Edy said pointing up at a window near the top of the building.

"That's… awfully high," Avan declared.

"It's built to be difficult to sneak into, it is a weapons storehouse, after all. Can't just have common rabble able to break in whenever they want."

"How do we get up to it?" Cosette asked.

"Ah to heck with it," Ed declared clapping his hands together and putting them against the ground, opening up a large hole, "everyone in, quick!" The squad jumped down into the hole and Ed quickly sealed it over. There was no sign that they had even been there when a group of rebel soldiers came to inspect the strange flash of light.

"Alright, from here, it'll be easy," Ed declared as he began to transmute a tunnel.

"Not bad, Elric, good thinking. They won't be able to see us use Alchemy underground," Vine declared.

"That's the plan."

….

"Alright, we should be right under the warehouse now," Ed said after a few minutes of digging.

"Hang on, I'll check," Vine declared transmuting a small tunnel up towards the surface. He poked his head up and looked around, then rose a little higher out of the tunnel and hit his head against the underside of a rebel tank. "Ow, uh oh. Hey, they've got tanks inside the warehouse, too!"

"Are you kidding?" Ed called up, "what now!"

"Uhhhhh, oh, hey, there's a Ragnaid stockpile at the back of the building I can see from underneath the tank. If I can reach that, I can transmute it into a Ragnite bomb.

"How're you gonna do that?" Ed called up as Vine crawled out of the hole. A few seconds later, two rebel infantry soldiers, a male and a female, fell into the hole. Vine dropped back into the hole after them.

"My turn to have an idea," Vine declared.

….

After making sure no one was watching, Vine crawled out from under the tank, now dressed in the male rebel's uniform. "Come on, let's do this," Vine ordered helping Cosette, dressed in the female's uniform, out from under the tank.

"Do you really think they won't notice?" Cosette asked.

"Hey, what're you two doing back here! I'm not paying you to screw around, get back on patrol!" A rebel soldier shouted.

"Yes sir, my apologies sir!" Vine shouted.

"Wow, it worked," Cosette whispered as the rebel walked away. Vine wasted no time in making right for the Ragnaid.

"Alright, simple transmutation and we go from medical supply to explosive," Vine declared using his alchemy on the Ragnaid, "careful Cosette, this stuff is more than a little unstable. Let's get back into the tunnel and I'll ignite the explosives with a blast."

"Hey! What do you think you're doing back there!" the rebel shouted angrily.

"Shoot, Cosette, go!" Vine ordered blasting the tank over the tunnel and blowing it away. As Cosette crawled back into the tunnel, Vine fired several more blasts, blowing back rebels and tanks.

"Alright," he said running towards the tunnel as the door to the warehouse burst open and another tank rolled in.

"Merry Christmas!" Vine shouted firing blast into the Ragnite, igniting it and causing a massive explosion that engulfed the entire warehouse!

"Vine!" Ed shouted up as Vine crashed down back into the tunnel.

"Mission accomplished," he gasped giving a thumbs up.

"Yeah, come on, let's go rendezvous with the others," Avan ordered as the triumphant squad made their way out of the tunnel.

….

At the rendezvous point, Squad G waited anxiously for their comrades.

"I saw the warehouse go up, where are they?" Rene wondered aloud. Just then, the ground underneath her opened up and she fell into a hole with a yelp.

"Rene!" Magari shouted in dismay as Rene's head poked back out of the hole.

"That was weird," Rene declared crawling out of the hole.

"Weird's not exactly the word I'd use," Ed declared crawling out of the hole, two red marks showed where Rene's feet had smashed into him, "I think painful'd be more accurate."

"Could have been worse," Vine declared pulling himself out of the hole, then reaching back in to pull Cosette, Edy, and Avan out, "could've been me."

"Guys, the hole's not big enough! I can't get out!" Alphonse shouted up.

"Hang on Al," V ine ordered making the hole bigger.

"That's better, thanks Vine," Al declared crawling out.

"What the… would it have killed you to have walked?" Zeri asked as Alphonse resealed the hole.

"That entirely depends on how many tanks we would have met along the way," Vine replied.

"There! It's a squad of Lanseal cadets!" A rebel soldier shouted as an entire rebel squad charged out into the square the squad had met in.

"We've got company! Squad G, prepare to intercept!" Avan ordered. Suddenly, a wave of fire washed over the rebels, burning them all to ashes.

"Funny, Avan, I'm almost certain I told you and your squad to stay at Lanseal. When Kluivert finds out about this, there's going to be Hell to pay," Colonel Mustang declared as he and Lieutenant Hawkeye joined the group.

"Uh oh, it's the Colonel," Avan gasped, "we're toast."

"So where's Major Armstrong, Raging Blast. He was with you, wasn't he?" Mustang asked.

"I had him take Welkin and Alicia back to Lanseal," Vine replied.

"So you saved Alicia then? Awesome, guess I should've known better than to worry about you guys!" Avan declared.

"Don't try to change the subject, Hardins, you and your entire class are still in trouble," Mustang replied.

"The class has nothing to do with this. I'll take whatever the Headmaster wants to do to…"

"Oh, you said we weren't supposed to let Squad G, come to Yuell. Whoops, that's my bad, I guess I must have misheard you. Well, guess I'm in pretty hot water, aren't I," Vine said laughing casually.

"What? Vine, you didn't…" Avan began but was silenced as Vine punched him on top of the head.

"What're you talking about, Raging Blast?" Colonel Mustang asked, though his smile showed he'd caught on to what Vine was up to.

"Don't tell me you forgot, Colonel. I came and asked if I could gather class G to conduct an operation in Yuell, remember?" Vine asked.

"Yuell… oh, oops, I must have misheard you, I thought you were requesting their help in Bruhl. Either way, you still ordered them here without permission. You're going to be in a lot of trouble with Kluivert," Mustang declared.

"Ah, whatever. It's not the first time I've gotten my ear chewed by a General. Besides, the worst he can do is demote my Gallian rank which isn't worth squat anyway."

"What! Vine you didn't…" Avan began to protest again, but Vine silenced him with another punch.

"Alright, we'll worry about Kluivert when we get back to Lanseal. What's our situation now?" Vine asked.

"Yuell is under attack from an elite armored battalion under the command of Audrey Gassenarl," Mustang revealed, "I'm sure you remember that name."

"Audrey, that brings back memories. I had hoped that of all people she wouldn't be foolish enough to buy in to her father's madness. Guess I was wrong."

"Well, the chaos caused when that warehouse exploded has broken much of the rebels command chain. Now that they're disorganized, we have an advantage," Zeri declared.

"Right, let's not waste it. We can use this opportunity to take their base camps and break their occupation here," Avan declared, "so what're we waiting for, let's do it!"

"I'll catch up with you guys later, I've got something else to take care of," Vine declared.

"Alright, then we'll see you later," Avan declared.

"Count on it," Vine declared as the heroes began the liberation of Yuell.

….

At the rebel command center, Audrey Gassenarl stood inspecting the map of Yuell. "We've almost secured all of Yuell. From here, Randgriz will easily fall and the Darcsen taint will be purified from this land."

"Lady Audrey, our men are being pushed back by a joint surprise attack from the Amestrian Flame Alchemist and a group wearing Lanseal colors," a rebel shouted running up to the female commander.

"Lanseal? Aren't we outside their jurisdiction?"

"Yes ma'am, and it gets worse. The Darcsen Raging Blast Alchemist is here as well, and he's gone on the offensive. With two of the most famous and dangerous Alchemists in Amestris on the field, our forces are being decimated."

"Did you say the Raging Blast Alchemist?" Audrey replied.

"Yes ma'am, that darned dog is causing all sorts of trouble for our forces trying to intercept the Lanseal squad. Between the two of them, we're losing ground fast."

"Raging… Blast. Colonel, so you've finally come to face me. I will purify all Darcsens from this land in the name of the Valkyrur. Even you cannot be spared," Audrey declared, "prepare Geirolul. I will lead the troops myself. I'll kill the Raging Blast Alchemist and finally be free of his taint."

….

"You called for me, General?" Lt. Audrey Gassenarl asked entering the command office of General Georg Van Damon.

"Ah, Lt. Gassenarl. Yes, I want to talk to you. You've no doubt heard that your squad will soon be receiving a new Colonel."

"Yes sir, Colonel Vine Raymond. The Amestrian's Raging Blast Alchemist," Audrey replied.

"What are your feelings on the man?" Damon asked looking up at the young Lieutenant.

"Sir, from what I've heard of him, I believe him to be an excellent choice for the position. His exploits in the militia are the talk of the military, and as a State Alchemist of the Mother Country, his prowess on the battlefield speaks for itself, yet in spite of all this, many soldiers speak even more proudly of his compassion. He treats all soldiers and civilians alike with the same level or respect regardless of their rank or their birthright."

"I see. For having never met the man, you seem to hold him in quite high regard," General Damon said distastefully, "I'm sure you heard of his squad's recent victory on Marberry then. Which means you probably heard about what happened afterwards. When an imperial sniper team shot one of the people in his division. She was nothing important, a Darcsen dog, but the Colonel was greatly affected by her death. Imagine, a man who sheds a tear for Darcsens promoted to the rank of Colonel. You must at least find that somewhat sickening."

"You speak to me as though I were my father, General. The fact that this man took the death of one of his comrades so personally only confirms to me that there is no one more fit to lead my division," Audrey declared, "I believe Colonel Vine to be the perfect choice to lead the 72nd division."

"You think so, do you. Well, we'll see how long you and your men believe that," Damon said sounding very displeased, "your dismissed Lieutenant."

"Yes sir," Audrey replied saluting the general.

….

The Colonel arrived at the Squad 72 barracks later that day. "Huh, so this is… home now, huh?" Vine said sizing up the building, "it still doesn't feel right."

"You must be Colonel Raymond, sir. Pleased to meet you," Audrey declared approaching the man.

"Colonel Raymond? Oh, you mean me, right, Raymond. Uhhh, just Vine if you don't mind," Vine replied.

"Sir? I could never address my commanding officer so casually, sir?" Audrey replied, obviously taken aback by Vine's reaction.

"You can if I order you to, but if you're really determined to be official about it, then Colonel Vine or Raging Blast will do. I don't want to be called Raymond, is that clear, Ms…?"

"Lieutenant Audrey Gassenarl, sir," Audrey replied saluting again, "I'm the division Tank Commander as well as your second in command."

"Gassenarl. I've heard that name. You're Gilbert Gassenarl's daughter, aren't you?" Vine declared.

"Yes sir."

"I know your father. Wish I could say he was a good man, but I'm not particularly given to lying about those kinds of things. If you're anything like your father, Audrey, I'll warn you now. You and I are not going to get along."

"With all due respect, sir, I am not my father and I ask that you do not treat me as such. I am here because I want to defend my home, not because of anything my father has done for me."

"I don't doubt that, Gassenarl, and I don't accuse you of taking advantage of your father's position to gain you position. I've heard good things about your abilities and I'll be happy to fight at your side, Lieutenant. That is not what worries me. What worries me is that both your father and your older brother have terrible reputations for being rather discrimitory. Your father even goes so far as to deem Darcsens unfit to stand in his presence. I warn you now, Audrey, discrimination is a trait I have learned to be unaffordable on the battlefield. If you share this unsightly trait of your father's, speak up now so I can request you be transferred to another unit, because I won't stand for it." Audrey had remained silent, but deep down, she was glad to hear the Colonel call her father out like that. She'd serve him happily… right up until he decided to reveal his foul secret. Colonel Vine Raymond… no, Colonel Vine, just Vine, the Darcsen Raging Blast Alchemist.

**Ending Theme: Uso (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"I remember that day. You lied to me, and everyone else for so long!"

"I've lied to a lot of people about a lot of things, Audrey, but I can't let this go on any longer."

"I swear, I'll kill you one day, Colonel. I'll personally kill you and wash away my sin with my own power!"

"Your sin? Audrey…"

**Next Time: A PAINFUL REUNION The Ties That Bind**

"I don't want to kill you… Audrey."


	17. Chapter 17

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 16

A PAINFUL REUNION

The Ties that Bind

**Opening Theme: Undo (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

"Outta my way!" Vine shouted firing three blasts that destroyed three tanks, "man, these guys just don't know when to quit. Get out of Cosette's home!"

….

Rebel soldiers scrambled frantically, and unsuccessfully, to evacuate the streets as a wave of fire rolled over it. Colonel Mustang continued to advance calmly up the street, continuing to shoot flames in all directions while Class G advanced slowly behind him, working frantically to evacuate injured civilians as they moved along.

"The army's set up a medical aid facility in the town square. We need to get these people there, as fast as we can," Hawkeye revealed as Zeri and Raymond lifted up a large stone so that Avan could pull out a man whose legs had been trapped underneath it. Hawkeye glanced around until she spotted Cosette. The cadet was standing a short distance away from the group, trembling from head to toe.

"Hey, Cosette, are you okay?" she asked placing a gentle hand on Cosette's shoulder.

"Huh… wha… oh, yeah. Don't worry about me Lieutenant, I'm fine," Cosette lied quickly trying to stop herself from trembling.

"It's okay; you can just call me Riza, and don't try to lie to me. I think you should go back to the forward command post with the injured."

"No, I'm fine, really. I have to save them. I have to help, please, I don't want to go back, let me stay and help!" Cosette pleaded.

"Alright," Riza replied sympathetically, "but be careful. Try not to… LOOK OUT!" she shouted suddenly drawing her pistol and firing into an alleyway. A rebel soldier dropped dead. "You're losing your touch, Colonel."

"Don't drop your guard, any of you! Reinforcements are on their way! Where in the heck did Fullmetal sneak off to!" Mustang cursed as a tank suddenly rolled out into the street. It hadn't gone more than a few feet when it suddenly dropped front first into a pit.

"Someone call for the Anti-Tank Alchemist?" Ed asked jumping up on the exposed back of the tank.

"Not too shabby, Fullmetal," Mustang declared, "but don't get too cocky." Snapping his fingers, Mustang shot a burst of flame into the hatch of the tank, just as it opened. The soldiers inside roared in pain and leapt out, rolling in the dirt to put out the flame. Suddenly, Avan's wireless clicked on.

"All Gallian forces, attention," a woman's voice called from the communicator, "be advised, Scouts have identified that Geirolul, General Audrey Gassenarl's personal tank, has been sighted on the battlefield. All forces are advised to advance with extreme caution."

"So Gassenarl's taken to the field then, has she. Perfect, then she's right where we want her," Colonel Mustang declared, "alright, we need to take Audrey alive if possible, but if you can't do that, then shoot to kill!"

….

"Leading the assault yourself, huh, Audrey," Vine sighed after hearing the transmission, "I still can't figure out why you're doing this, but I guess it doesn't matter. I've gotta stop you."

….

Divided between Flame and Raging Blast, the rebel soldiers were unable to gather for a counter attack, and the Gallian forces were quickly making their way towards the Rebel camp within Yuell. A short distance from the main camp, Audrey Gassenarl's tank, Gierolul, sat waiting. It was a heavily build tank, painted red and gold, with five giant rocket launchers mounted on the back which were continuously firing into the city. Vine stood, watching in horror as the blasts crashed into the city, creating immense amounts of damage. "Darn it, Audrey, this has to stop," he hissed, "so what now. That tank is a lot different from the one she used in the war, so I have no idea what I'm up against. Oh the other hand, Audrey is familiar with all of my tactics and techniques. I'd be very surprised if she hasn't taken some sort of precautions. If anyone could find a weakness in my Blast Alchemy, she could. Besides, with all those tanks around, a one man frontal assault would be suicide. Need to find a way to get behind her without being seen. Wait, that's it! Wow, who would have thought I would learn something from Fullmetal," Vine declared putting his gloved hands against the ground.

….

Colonel Mustang snapped his fingers again and another wave of flame roared over a group of rebels who had set up camp in a small park. The park, once full of beautiful green grass and trees, was now full of nothing but broken tree stumps, debris,… and some very badly burned grass. "We'll set up our forward base here. Everyone make the necessary preparations. As soon as the Vanguard unit arrives to resupply us, we're making our final push towards the enemy command center."

While squad G busied themselves, Cosette stood alone on the far side of the park.

"What's wrong, Cosette?" Hawkeye asked when she found the young cadet.

"This park… Daddy and I used to come here all the time and play when I was little. I… I don't know…" Cosette cried, collapsing to her knees, "I don't know what to do!"

"Keep moving, Cosette," a compassionate voice said behind Riza. Riza turned and saw that it was Edward, "all you can do is walk. Keep moving forward one step at a time until you get through it." Cosette was silent for a minute, then wiped away her tears and stood up.

"Right," she said, her voice was still trembling, but she had stopped shaking, "I… I've gotta do what I can, to save my home."

"Cosette, Edward, the Vanguard's arrived! We've got supplies. We need to restock and get ready to move!" Avan shouted.

"Right, you ready Cosette? Let's go drive these rebels out of your home!" Ed shouted.

"Right," Cosette replied going to work preparing to move out.

"Colonel, Alphonse and I'll scout ahead," Ed shouted, "let's go Al!"

"Right behind you, Brother!" Al shouted as the two Elric brothers ran ahead of the Squad.

"Do you think Vine has found her yet?" Hawkeye asked glancing over to Mustang.

"Hard to say. Audrey Gassenarl's an old friend of yours, isn't she. So what're your thoughts on all of this?" Mustang asked in reply.

"I'm not sure sir," Hawkeye replied, "both Gilbert and Baldren Gassenarl are among the worst of their kind. Terrible men who will go to any length to drive both the Darcsens and the Amestrians out of Gallia. Imagining them doing something like this is easy, but I always thought Audrey was different. As long as I've known her, I've never seen anything in Audrey that implied that she was Anti Darcsen. She's a devout Yggdist, a religious sect that worships Valkyrur as being divine, but I never thought that that was a sign of her feelings towards Darcsens, but then, I guess the apple never does fall far from the tree."

"Gassenarl, I just remembered, wasn't she Raging Blast's second in command during the latter half of the empire's invasion of Gallia? Vine told me that when he was put in charge of the 72nd battalion, General Damon appealed to Fuher King Bradley and got a gag order placed on Vine's Darcsen heritage. The whole time he was in command of the battalion, he did so under the alias of Vine Raymond, a normal Gallian State Alchemist. Damon had been careful to make sure that the soldiers he selected weren't overly familiar with State Alchemists so they wouldn't know who Vine was, and it was no secret that House Gassenarl had little to do with State Alchemists."

"What ended up happening?" Hawkeye asked.

"Vine hated having to keep it a secret, you know how he is. He's proud of his heritage; he'd never willingly cover it up. During the final battle of the war, Vine revealed his identity to Squad 72 when he chose to abandon his orders and his command in order to help Squad 7 on the Marmota Airship. Most of the squad not only accepted his confession, but commended him for his courage and followed him into the final battle. Squad 7 gets most of the credit for that battle, but they wouldn't have pulled it off without Squad 72. Even so, Vine stepped down as leader of the squad and left Gallia for two years. I'm not sure what happened between him and Gassenarl when Vine made his confession, but I heard she continued to follow him right up until the end of the war. Then after Cordelia's confession, she defected and joined the rebels with her father and brothers."

"So that's what happened. It must have been shocking, given her father's low opinion of Darcsens. I know she had a lot of respect for the Colonel, maybe finding out he'd lied to her is what put her over the edge," Hawkeye declared, "it's too bad, Audrey was always a good soldier to."

"Well, I guess that doesn't make much difference now," Colonel Mustang replied, "It's time to finish this."

….

Ed and Al soon arrived at the Rebel line. A half dozen tanks, dotted the area, with the massive tank with five Rocket launchers mounted on the back a ways behind them, firing rockets into the city.

"Brother, that must be Geirolul," Alphonse declared.

"Their command tank, Al, if we can take that thing down, we'll break the rebel command in Yuell," Ed declared.

"But how? We won't even be able to get close with all those tanks down there," Al replied.

"Man, I'm starting to feel like a mole," Ed declared clapping his hands and putting them against the ground.

….

"Alright, I gotta be close, just a little farther," Vine sighed. He'd been digging for almost ten minutes now and he was rather tired of being underground. "This would be a lot easier if I had a second hand," he declared clearing out another portion of earth. Just then, a wall behind him flashed and fell away.

"Huh, that's weird, there's already a tunnel here," Ed said in surprise.

"Maybe we're in an old mine, Brother," Al replied.

"Oh not you two again," Vine sighed as Ed and Al exited into his tunnel.

"What… HEY! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING DOWN HERE!" Ed shouted.

"WHAT AM I DOING DOWN HERE! WHAT'RE YOU DOING DOWN HERE! I THOUGHT YOU WERE WITH MUSTANG!"

"WE WERE BUT WE DECIDED TO SCOUT AHEAD!"

"WHY ARE WE YELLING!"

"I… I DON'T KNOW! YOU STARTED IT!"

"NO I DIDN'T, YOU STARTED IT!"

"I don't care who started it, both of you stop it!" Alphonse ordered, "before the whole place comes down on us!" Al shuddered as a rock suddenly fell on his shoulder. "OH NO! I YELLED TO LOUD, THE TUNNEL'S COING TO CAVE IN! WE'RE GONNA DIE!" he shouted running around frantically.

"Huh? Hey, is your brother claustrophobic or something?" Vine asked glancing down at Ed.

"I don't know, I don't think so," Ed replied.

….

"I see, so you're here looking for their commander. Do you know her or something?" Ed asked after Vine had explained what he was doing.

"You could say that. Me and Ms. Gassenarl have… a bit of a history together."

"A bit of a history, huh. What kind of history we talkin' about here?" Ed asked slyly.

"Wipe that grin off your face, Fullmetal, I am not Roy Mustang," Vine declared.

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinkin' it."

"Oh great, so now you're a mind reader, too?"

"During the war I was put in command of the 72nd Battalion of the Gallian military. Audrey was both my Tank Commander and my second-in-command. I'm here to find out why she's joined this rebellion. Whether or not I decide to finish her will be entirely based on her response," Vine revealed.

"Yeah, whatever. You're not gonna go mad again and make me kick your but again, are you?"

"Not this time, Mouse."

"STOP CALLING ME A MOUSE!"

"Hey, didn't we already have this conversation once?"

"That was just during a preview!" Ed shouted.

"Preview of what now?"

"Well, if you're going over there anyway, see if you can disable that tank. I'm sure the townspeople don't appreciate it blowing up their city," Ed ordered.

"Oh, I intend to, don't worry," Vine revealed, "now let's get this over with."

….

"Lady Audrey, the Gallian army is still advancing on our position. They'll be here any minute!" a soldier cried over Audrey's radio within Geirolul.

"Darn it, how can two men have turned this around like this? Those Alchemists are making fools out of us," Audrey cursed, "we can't let them get this far, or we'll be forced to retreat from the city." Just then, her rocket launchers stopped firing. "What's going on!" she shouted to a member of her crew.

"Lady Audrey, the main cannons have been disabled!" the crewman shouted back.

"What! How, there aren't any enemies here yet! AHHHHH!" Gassenarl shrieked as her tank suddenly began to fall backwards, lodging itself into a pit. Audrey sat looking up into sky as the roof of her tank opened up and her tank crew was pulled out by the two Elric brothers. The front of her tank opened up as well, and she herself was grabbed by the front of her shirt and pulled out of Geirolul to be dropped onto the dirt.

"I've been looking for you Gassenarl, we need to talk," Vine declared glaring down at the fallen rebel commander.

"Colonel Vine…" Audrey replied bitterly.

"Lt. Gassenarl, we meet again," Vine declared coldly, "it's been a long time."

"Darcsen filth, why are you here! Why don't you go back to Amestris where you belong!" Audrey demanded.

"Huh, yeesh, I wasn't expecting a warm welcome, but come on, it's been two years since we've seen each other. You could at least say hi before we start firing insults at each other, but if you insist," Vine sighed, "we can get right down to business I guess." Audrey stood up and drew the General's Sword sheathed at her side as Vine transmuted his own sword from Geirolul's hull. "You really think that's a good idea? We both know who wins this fight," the Raging Blast Alchemist declared jumping down off of the tank as Audrey charged at him. Sure enough, it only took seconds for Vine to disarm Audrey and pin her to the ground, his sword pointed at her throat. "Told ya," he said rising and letting her up, "you wanna try again or can we have a civilized conversation?"

"There's nothing civilized about you," Audrey cried rising to her feet, "you filthy, lying Darcsen!" she screamed charging at him again.

"Alright, at this point, you're counting on the fact that I don't want to kill you. You couldn't beat me with the sword so you think you'll have better luck hand to hand!" Vine demanded kneeing his former comrade in the gut and knocking her down again, "don't try it again, Audrey. You're foolish if you think I won't kill you after everything you've done. I don't want to, but I will."

"Don't patronize me! All of this is your fault! If it weren't for you… tainting Gallia, there would be no need for any of this, but if sacrifices are to be made, then I will gladly make them to cleanse Gallia of your taint. I'll see you burn in the azure flames of the Valkyrur!"

"Sacrifices? So is that what this is? Of course it is, just another senseless 'sacrifice' in your father's mad campaign for power. I'm surprised, Audrey. I never thought I'd see the day when you'd willingly turn your weapon on your own people… for such a stupid reason."

"Stupid reason? Did you think you had a stupid reason when you lied to me and everyone else? I trusted you, and you betrayed that trust," Audrey hissed looking angrily at the Raging Blast Alchemist.

"I didn't have a reason Audrey, nor do I have an excuse. I did what I thought I needed to do. I made a judgment error by not trusting my squad with the truth, but then again, after what you've done here Audrey, was I really all that foolish trying to keep my heritage a secret from you?" Audrey sat silently. The two former comrades just stared angrily at each other until Audrey's wireless broke the silence.

"General Gassenarl! We're being overrun! The Gallian army will overtake us any moment and reinforcements are arriving from Randgriz to cut off our retreat! What're your orders!" a soldier's voice shouted over the radio.

"Darn it! How can we have lost this?" Audrey cursed.

"Audrey, for the sake of our past, I'm going to let you go. Leave Yuell now, and don't come back. In fact, make sure we don't ever see each other again, because if we do, I promise, I will kill you. You'd better move. Colonel Roy Mustang won't offer the same chance," Vine declared coldly.

"What? How dare you take pity on me!"

"Do you remember this place at all, Audrey? Squad 72 was sent here as a relief unit after the Imperial was driven out. Do you remember that? I do. Do you remember all those little kids, the ones you let ride on your tank? Or those kind old woman, who despite having just lost her husband and a son, fed us and gave us a place to sleep that night? Do you remember any of the people from this town? Don't their faces haunt you when you realize that you may very well have killed some of them! The Audrey Gassenarl I know would have been shattered at the mere thought of turning her weapons on those people. People who were kind to her and to those under her command! You're not Audrey Gassenarl, you just look like her! I won't give you another chance! Get out or I will kill you!" As Vine spoke, shock and pain showed on Audrey's face. Vine knew she remembered, but she was suppressing that memory. She looked away from the Raging Blast Alchemist, her entire body trembling as she grabbed her radio.

"All forces, we're pulling out. Disengage immediately and retreat, the day is lost," she declared standing up and glaring at the Raging Blast Alchemist. Without another word, she walked away. Ed and Al watched as she walked past them and made her way out of Yuell.

**Ending Theme: Tsunaida Ta (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"The rebels have withdrawn, Yuell is safe for now."

"We've got a lot of wounded here, Cosette, give me a hand, these people need medical attention!"

"I… I can't! I'm too scared."

"You can Cosette, you have to. You can't run away anymore."

"Avan… Avan, what are you doing!"

"AVAN YOU IDIOT!"

**Next Time: THE RESOLVE TO MOVE ON Cosette's Fear**

"I can't… I can't see any color!"


	18. Chapter 18

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 17

THE RESOLVE TO MOVE ON

Cosette's Fear

**Opening Theme: Undo (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

At Audrey's command, the rebel forces immediately began their withdrawal. Yuell and its people were safe for the moment, but the battle was not without casualties.

"Hurry, we have more wounded civilians here!" Reiner shouted as he and Erik worked frantically to free a group of civilians trapped under rubble. They both stepped back as a large slab of earth lifted up, pushing all of the rubble up and freeing the civilians.

"Hurry up, let's get them out of there!" Ed ordered as he and Reiner began helping the civilians out to Erik. Zeri soon joined the group and they were able to quickly evacuate the civilians.

"Mommy! I can't move!" a little girl wailed as her mother hovered frantically above her. The girl had been pinned under a rock, and though she was fortunate enough that the rock hadn't crushed her, she couldn't free herself.

"You're gonna be alright, little one, just hold tight," Vine declared kneeling down next to her, "Kneel down next to your daughter and keep ahold of her hand. This'll be quick!" he ordered the mother who quickly obeyed. Placing his hand on the ground, Vine raised for pillars which lifted the rock into the air, then grabbed the child, pulling her and her mother away as the rock crashed back down. After Vine was satisfied the child was uninjured he handed her to her mother. "She's fine, just scared," he revealed as the mother hugged her daughter.

"There's too much rubble to move! I need an Alchemist over here!" Zeri shouted, "this man needs help, now!"

"I'm coming! Cosette, help me out, he'll need a medic!" Vine ordered, "Cosette? Hey, snap out of it, we need you!" he shouted realizing Cosette was trembling again.

"Wha… no… I can't… what if I screw up! They'll all die!" Cosette screamed.

"Then don't screw up! You'll be fine, just do what you always do. You're a medic after all," Vine declared.

It took Vine only a few seconds to have the man out from under the rubble.

"Zeri, help Cosette, I need to see if there's anyone else trapped," Vine declared leaving the two cadets to treat the man.

"Alright, Cosette, just tell me what you need me to do," Zeri declared, "hey, Cosette… are you alright?"

"I… I can't do it… I'm to scared."

"Cosette, if you don't do something this man is going to die!"

"Hey, what's all the shouting about over here!" Avan shouted running over to his two classmates.

"I can't… not after… my parents… blood scares me… red scares me!" Cosette revealed shaking frantically.

"Colonel!" Avan shouted, catching Vine's attention who immediately rushed back.

"What's going on, what's wrong with Cosette!" Ed asked as he joined the group as well.

"I can't do this… what if… everyone will die again, and it'll be all my fault!" Cosette wailed.

"Oh man, we're losing this guy! Magari!" Vine shouted catching a dark haired engineers attention, "get over here, this man needs treatment now. Cosette, you need to calm down. You can't help them like this. Don't you want to save them? They're the people of your own town, Cosette."

"I can't… I can't… I can't see…" Cosette gasped frantically.

"Can't… see? Oh no, Cosette, what color is my headband?" Vine demanded.

"What?"

"What color is my headband, Cosette?" Vine repeated.

"What kind of question is that, Vine?" Avan asked.

"The kind of question… you ask someone who's color blind!" Ed realized, "Cosette… you can't see any color, can you."

"No… I'm too scared. Blood… red scares me," Cosette revealed dropping to her knees.

"Cosette…" Vine sighed sympathetically.

"Come on Cosette. You can do this; you've treated me plenty of times. These people need your help," Avan declared gently but firmly.

"You've gotta move forward, Cosette. These people need you now. If you don't move, a lot of them aren't going to make it!" Ed shouted.

"I can't… I'm too scared!"

"You've gotta face this Cosette. You'll never be able to get past it if you run away. Take it from someone who's been running his whole life. It never gets you anywhere," Vine declared firmly, "I know you can do this, you're stronger than this."

"I'm not letting you run Cosette," Avan declared as he cocked a shell into his rifle, "you can do this."

"Hey, Avan, what're you doing!" Ed shouted.

"Colonel!" Zeri shouted causing Vine to look back… just as Avan turned his rifle and shot himself.

"WHAT THE HECK! AVAN, WHAT'VE YOU DONE!"

"I don't believe it, he shot himself! I knew he was crazy, but this has to set a whole new standard for crazy!" Ed shouted as Avan dropped.

"Avan! What're you doing, are you crazy!" Cosette screamed.

"I'd only be crazy… if I thought you wouldn't save me. Your call Cosette, am I gonna die here today… or not?"

"You'd better save his life Cosette, so I can kill him tomorrow!" Vine shouted angrily.

"Avan…" Cosette stuttered, "why…"

"I… have faith in you, Cosette. I know… you'll… save me," Avan declared as he passed out from loss of blood.

….

When Avan awoke, he was in a hospital bed. A quick look at his surroundings told him that he was in the Lanseal infirmary.

"Oh good, you're awake," Ed said from the far end of the room walking over to Avan's bedside, "NOW YOU CAN FEEL THIS!" he shouted punching Avan's left cheek with his automail hand.

"Ow, did ya have to hit me with your metal hand? That's no way to treat someone who's been in the hospital!" Avan protested.

"It's the perfect way to treat someone who's in the hospital cause he's an idiot! Were you trying to kill yourself!" Ed shouted back.

"I'm not dead, now am I. Guess that means Cosette saved me," Avan declared. Ed sighed.

"Look, I'm not gonna say I don't like what you did for her, but next time, try to think of something that isn't insane," Ed declared, "as for not being dead, that may well change when Vine gets his hands on you."

"How is she?"

"Cosette? She pulled through alright. After Vine assured her you weren't going to die until he killed you, she started acting pretty normally. She was able to treat the civilians in Yuell. We didn't lose any of the injured thanks to you, I guess," Ed replied, "However, there is the slight problem that you weren't supposed to be there."

"Yeah, I know. Did they say what they were gonna do to me," Avan asked.

"You heard what Vine said. As far as the military's concerned, he gave you the order to move out. Class G's off the hook, but Vine is getting put through the ringer. He's in a disciplinary council right now. No idea what they're gonna end up doing to him though."

….

"Colonel Vine, you stand charged with violating military law by authorizing Lanseal cadets to operate outside their territory without approval from higher ranking authorities," Kluivert declared coldly.

"Yeah yeah, can we get this done? I've got work to do," Vine replied casually.

"You'd be wise to hold your tongue, Colonel. Were your fate left to my decision, you would leave Lanseal, immediately and ordered to never return. As things stand, your fate will be determined by your Amestrian leaders, but I assure you, your fate will not be a pleasant one."

"Whatever, you're not the first person to tell me that and you won't be the last I'm sure," came the casual reply.

"Wow, he sure is calm for someone who's being court marshaled," Havoc said chuckling.

"The colonel has little respect for many of Gallia's higher ranking officials. Even before he became an State Alchemist, there was almost never a time when Vine would be in the same room as a group of Generals and politicians that he wouldn't end up starting some kind of trouble. I think it's natural for him," Colonel Mustang revealed. Just then, the phone next to Lt. General Kluivert began to ring.

"That'll be whoever's deciding my punishment, I guess," Vine sighed, "well, let's get this done."

"I agree," Kluivert declared pressing a button on the phone which connected the headset to the rooms intercom system, allowing everyone in the room, "this is Lt. General Laurence Kluivert."

"Lt. General Kluivert, I have a request form here on my desk for a Court Marshall of the Raging Blast Alchemist. What seems to be the problem?" the voice on the other end asked casually. Everyone in the room froze. The voice… belonged to Fuhrer King Bradley!

"Bradley himself? What in the world?" Vine sighed.

"Y… yes, of course sir. C… Colonel Vine has disregarded authority and taken action against the will of the commanders of Lanseal Military academy by using Lanseal cadets to conduct an unauthorized operation outside of Lanseal jurisdiction," Kluiver stuttered after a moment's silence.

"Did Colonel Vine request permission to conduct this operation?" Bradley replied.

"Uh… well Fuhrer…"

"That question wasn't for you, Kluivert. I trust Raging Blast is there. I want his answer to the question. Raging Blast, did you or did you not request Kluivert's permission?"

"Not directly, sir. I petitioned Colonel Mustang who then petitioned General Kluivert to authorize Lanseal Class G to perform operations in the town of Yuell."

"A simple yes would have sufficed, Colonel Vine," Bradley replied, "Colonel Mustang, are you there as well?"

"Yes sir," Mustang replied.

"I assume Kluivert said no, did he give a reason?"

"No sir, no reason was given as to why Kluivert would not give his support," Colonel Mustang replied.

"Very well. I can see where this is going quite clearly. Quite frankly, General, I can find no reason to authorize this Court Marshall," Bradley declared.

"What… but Fuhrer, you must understand…" Kluivert protested.

"No, Kluivert, you're the one who needs to understand," Bradley replied coldly, "I'm getting sick of my men getting the runaround while they're trying to help your country. Gallia is a subservient nation to Amestris, yet so far, we've seen fit to largely leave you alone, in fact, we've provided troops for your protection on more than one occasion for you. I've sent these State Alchemists to help you at the request of your own Archduchess because your army is still largely undermanned after EWII, but all I've heard from the reports I've received from both Colonel Mustang and Colonel Vine indicate that the war is not going very smoothly, due in no small part to the Gallian Generals' lack of willingness to cooperate. As of right now, General Kluivert, your leadership of Lanseal Military Academy is entirely revoked. From now until the end of the war, Colonel Roy Mustang will be the unquestionable leader of operations based from Lanseal. This is not up for discussion."

"Wha… what?" Kluivert gasped as Vine chuckled and Mustang smiled slyly.

"As for Colonel Vine, I don't want to hear any more about this matter. Colonel Vine is officially cleared of all charges and from now on, is only obligated to obey either the direct commands of Archduchess Cordilia, the Amestrian Military, or Colonel Mustang, am I clear, General."

"Crystal… clear, sir," Kluivert sighed in defeat.

"Well, now that that's over, I'll be going now," Vine declared. Just then there was a knock on the door and Brixham ran in.

"Professor Brixham, we are in the middle of a disciplinary council, you can't…"

"Actually, I'm pretty sure we're at the tail end of a disciplinary council," Vine replied, "what's up?"

"Vine, I thought you might like to know Avan Hardins just woke up in the infirmary."

"Oh great, he survived; now I get to kill him. If anyone needs me you know where to find me!" Vine shouted running out of the room. Kluivert just sat in stupefied silence while Colonel Mustang grinned victoriously.

"Well, definitely didn't see that coming," Havoc declared lighting a cigarette, "that'll teach Kluivert a lesson."

….

Vine arrived at the hospital just as Alphonse was arriving with Cosette.

"Colonel, how'd it go?" Alphonse asked.

"Not good… for Headmaster Kluivert that is. Colonel Mustang's been made the unquestionable commander of Lanseal by the Fuhrer himself. Now we don't even need Kluivert's permission to take action."

"So Class G isn't in any trouble?" Cosette asked happily.

"As a class, no. Different story for your class chair though," Vine declared.

"I'd hope so, after that stunt he pulled," Ed declared as he walked out of the hospital with Avan.

"Ah, come on, at least I had good intentions, right?" Avan pleaded.

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions Hardins," Vine declared, "good intentions coupled with stupid, crazy, reckless actions."

"Avan, before I do this, I just want to say, thank you so much for what you did for me," Cosette declared calmly as she slapped Avan, "but don't you ever scare me like that again!"

"I'm not gonna hit you, but I think a month on bathroom duty should drive the message home, oh by the way, from now on, before anyone in class G is allowed to shoot themselves, they need my written permission," Vine declared, "failure to comply will result in a whole year of bathroom duty."

"A whole month, ah come on Colonel, that's pretty harsh," Avan sighed sadly.

"Colonel, Elric, Hardins! I need your help!" a frantic voice shouted behind them. Annisette ran up to them, panting frantically.

"What's wrong Annisette?" Avan asked.

"It's my sister Edy! In my last letter home, I told her I have a concert tomorrow night! Well just today, she said she's not going home until after the concert!"

"Hey, that's great, Annisette. You're sister'll get to see you perform," Avan said happily.

"Sure, provided there's actually a concert tomorrow night," Ed declared.

"I don't know what to do, please, you have to help me!" Annisette shrieked.

"I'll authorize use of the drill grounds tomorrow night, that's a start at least, but that's not all you need to put on a concert," Vine declared rubbing his head, "anyone ever been to a concert?"

"I got to go to a Rosie concert last year. She had a big fancy stage and lots of lights, it was really cool," Cosette revealed.

"Are we really gonna help set up a concert?" Ed asked.

"I don't know about you, Fullmetal, but after all the battles we've been in the last few days; I'm more than ready for a break. Who knows, maybe it'll be fun," Vine replied, "Shouldn't be too hard for three Alchemists to set up a stage, right?"

"I guess," Ed sighed, "alright, we'll help, but the actual concert stuff is your problem, we're just gonna set up a stage."

"Of course, thank you so much, darlings. I knew you'd be willing to help me," Annisette cried.

"Well, I guess we've got our next mission. Let's do this," Vine sighed leading Ed and Al towards the drill ground.

**Ending Theme: Tsunaida Ta (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"Phew, that went well. Annisette's concert went of without a hitch."

"That was wonderful, darlings. Annisette, you were truly marvelous, and it wouldn't be fair if I didn't sing something for you, so let me sing you a song now."

"Oh boy, better cover your ears."

"Vine, we're in trouble, Lanseal is under attack!"

"What!"

**Next Time: LANSEAL UNDER FIRE Darcsen vs Ishvallan**

"You must be Scar. Are you hear to learn the truth?"


	19. Chapter 19

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 18

LANSEAL UNDER FIRE

Darcsen vs Ishvallan

**Opening Theme: Undo (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

"Okay, I'll admit it. That really wasn't so bad," Avan declared looking at their handiwork.

"Avan, this is just a pile of wood. We haven't even made a stage yet," Vine sighed shaking his head.

"I've got it," Ed declared clapping his hands.

"I've got a bad feeling," Vine sighed as Ed transmuted the stage. It was a pretty good stage… except for the top of the roof.

"Take that off," Vine ordered looking up at the ridiculous Ed head at the top of the stage.

"If you don't like it, then make the stage yourself," Ed declared.

"Take it off or I'll blast it and the original while I'm at it!"

"Yeesh, you don't have to make threats over it," Ed said as he removed the head.

"Hey, Vine! I found some lights we can use! I just need some help moving them over here!" Cosette called.

"Do they work?" Ed asked.

"If they don't, we'll just have to fix 'em, let's take a look."

"Hey guys, what're you up to?" Welkins called walking over to the group.

"Yo, Welks. Settin up a stage. Turns out Annisette Nelson, resident idol of class G, is the little sister of our own Squad 7 idol/heroine, Edy Nelson," Vine replied.

"You're kidding! I never knew Edy had a sister, though now that you mention it, you can definitely see a strong family resemblance between the two," Welkins replied, "need any help?"

"That depends on what Cosette found for us," Vine declared, "Ed and Avan, finish with the stage, Welks and I'll go with Cosette and see about getting those lights back here."

"What do you want me to do, Vine?" Al asked.

"Keep hunting down materials, metal, wood, cloth, anything we can use to make stage decorations with. Talk to Annisette, she'll know what you need a lot better than I do," Vine replied, "alright, Class G, move out!"

….

Despite the Alchemists help, it still took all the rest of that day and much of the next for Vine, Ed, Al, Avan, Cosette, and Welkins to finally set up the stage, due in no small part to Annisette's abrupt and abundant changes of mind, but as the sun was setting, the stage was set to Annisette's liking.

"That took a lot longer than I thought it would," Vine sighed as they finally finished, "I'm starving!"

"I've got just the thing for that," Alicia called walking over to the exhausted Alchemists and Cadets with a basket full of bread, "Welkin said you were busy out here, so I thought you might need something to eat."

"I see you've got a new helper," Ed declared as Sarah came running up beside Alicia carrying another basket.

"Yep, she's quite the little helper. She's certainly been making things a lot easier for me," Alicia said smiling.

"I'll bet," Vine declared as Alicia and Sarah set down the baskets. The tired workers all found seats on the ground and began to eat the bread. Vine hadn't taken one bite when he noticed Sarah was looking at him.

"What?" he asked glancing down at the kid.

"Nothing, I'm just waiting for you to say something funny," Sarah said.

"Oh, you like funny do ya?" Vine said, "watch this. Hey, short stuff, pass the bread, would ya?"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A SILLY LITTLE BEAN SPROAT, SO SHORT YOU'D LOSE HIM IN GRASS AND STEP ON HIM LIKE A BUG!" came Ed's reply to which both Vine and Sarah burst out laughing. "Hey, what's so funny! That's it, come here! I'm gonna rearrange your face, Vine!"

"You'll have to catch me first, Fullmetal," Vine declared jumping nimbly to his feet and hopping just out of the grip of the diving Elric, "but with your limited reach, that's not gonna be easy."

"Grrr, that does it! You're dead when I get my hands on you!" Ed shouted charging forward as Alphonse jumped on him.

"Brother, you can't! You'll get in trouble if you attack the Colonel!" This time, it was Alicia who joined Sarah laughing.

"Huh, hey, what're you laughing at?" Vine asked.

"Just looking at you two I can't believe how similar you are. It's really entertaining to watch," Alicia replied.

"Me similar to him? No way, not a chance!" Ed shouted.

"I gotta agree with Fullmetal on this one, Licia, the two of us are nothing alike," Vine declared.

"If you say so. You know what this reminds me of, Welkin? It's like when Vine used to play with Hans back during the war, remember?"

"Hans?" Vine asked laughing, "oh that's great, that's like the ultimate short slam."

"I don't get it, who's Hans?" Ed asked.

"Hans was the mascot of Squad 7. He's a Porcavian Piglet runt, stood about yay tall," Vine said placing his hand down about shin level."

"What… HEY WHO'RE YOU CALLING A SILLY LITTLE PIGLET RUNT!" Ed shouted sliding out of Al's grasp and charging at Vine again.

"Hey, come on, this time it wasn't me!" Vine replied dodging Ed's attack.

"What're you all laughing at over here?" Zeri asked wondering over, "honestly, I could hear you from the library."

"Planning a concert," Vine declared pinning Edward face first into the ground.

"How is this planning a concert?" Zeri asked.

"Well how would you get about doing it Mr. Smarty Pants?"

"I might try actually planning something."

"Seriously, darlings, I told Edy the concert is in one hour, what do I do!"

"Uhh, sing a song, do a dance, go home happy?"

"Colonel, this is serious, I have no idea what to do!"

"I gave a serious answer," Vine replied, "don't overcomplicate it. If I know Edy, and I can honestly say I do, she'll love it, just because you're doing it for her."

"Vine's right," Welkin began, "I…"

"If you make any kind of bug reference I'll smack you," Vine declared.

"Yes sir," Welkin replied.

"Yep, just like old times," Alicia said as she and Sarah both giggled.

"Alright, so sing a song. What should I sing?" Anisette asked.

"I… I don't know many songs. Darn it, where's Stark when we need her?" Vine pondered aloud.

"That's it! I could sing Bridgette Stark's song!" Anisette shouted.

"What? That'd probably be the one song, Edy wouldn't like. She's always viewed Ms. Rosie as her rival," Vine declared.

"Whatever, it's none of my concern I guess," Zeri declared, "I actually came here for a reason. Transfer day is tomorrow, and it looks like Class G is getting 4 new members added to it."

"Transfer day? Huh, that should be fun," Avan said, "Four new squad mates… that's awesome!"

"Great, I hope the next 4 are at least somewhat normal. You know their names, Zeri?"

"Chloe Blixen, Pete Stang, Nahum Dryer, and Vario Kraatz," Zeri replied.

"Chloe Blixen? I recognize that name, she's a painter isn't she, Welks?" Vine asked.

"Yeah, I heard about her. I heard General Damon commissioned her to paint the aftermath of some of the armies victories during the war," Welkin replied.

"I don't know what surprises me more, the fact that we've got a painter signing up to be a soldier or that General Damon had victories in the war," Vine declared.

"Did you say Pete Stang? No way, he's from my home town!" Avan shouted, "I know him!"

"Oh, I don't like the sound of that," Vine sighed laying down on his back, "just shoot me now."

"I'm tempted," Ed declared.

"Dreyer? As in the Kingdom of Dreyer? No way, if he's who I think he is, this Nahum guy is a prince. We're going to have a real Prince at Lanseal!" Alicia shouted excitedly.

"You say that like it's a good thing. Five bucks says the kids a royal pain in the butt," Ed declared.

"So… anyone ever heard of Vario Kraatz?" Vine asked.

"Nope."

"No, sorry."

"I don't think so."

"Huh, well maybe he'll be fairly normal then," Vine sighed hopefully.

"Guys, what about the concert!" Anisette shouted.

"Right, let's tend to what's closest at hand before we worry about tomorrow," Vine sighed.

….

"Wow, lot of people out there," Vine declared looking off stage at the crowd below.

"Is Edy in the crowd?" Anisette asked fearfully.

"I don't… wait, there she is. She's sitting next to Welkin and Alicia," Ed said.

"Oh, I'm nervous…"

"What're you nervous for?" Avan asked, "you'll do great, Annisette. Now go out there and make your sister proud."

"You're right… thank you so much for everything darlings. Now just leave it to me from here!" Anisette said proudly as she charged out onto the stage.

"So did you order everyone here?" Ed asked glancing to Vine.

"What? What're you talking about, I didn't need to order all these people here," Vine replied.

"You did, didn't you?"

"Next time, you try advertising and getting people to attend a concert with less than one day's notice."

"I hope the song works well, I mean we kinda pulled it together in less than an hour," Cosette sighed sounding worried.

"Moment of truth, keep your fingers crossed," Vine declared. As Anisette began to sing.

"_Am I supposed to now,_

_Go chase after my dreams along this winding road?_

_Tripping on Broken Steps_

_And the People around me on this narrow path?_

_It's not that I want to back to how things were back then._

_I'm just out searching for the clear sky_

_That I had lost._

_I hope that you will understand_

_Stop making those sad faces like you want me_

_To pity you._

_The tears we cry aren't the end of our pain._

_They just allow us to remember it._

_Like a maze with no exit in sight_

_Oh what are you waiting for now?_

_Years written within a blank notebook_

_Now I want to be more honest_

_I don't know what I keep running away from_

_Could it be reality?_

_What am I living for now?_

_When I know I'll forget everything._

_I don't want to play it safe anymore._

_There's nowhere to fall back to._

_I'm always grateful for kindness shown me._

_I know I'll find the strength to make it out oh_

_I'm on the way_

_I'll keep going forward_

_Even the pain is alright by me!"_

(Author's Note: Anisette's song is, for all intents and purposes, a Fandub of Again, the first theme from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.)

As soon as Anisette finished, all the people at the drill grounds began to clap.

"Hey, that actually wasn't too bad," Cosette said.

"You know for being written by a group of alchemists and military cadets, it did have a nice ring to it," Vine declared as Annisette ran out on stage.

"They liked it, they really liked it!"

"Yeah, let's go see what your sister thought, come on," Avan said excitedly as he, Anisette, and Cosette ran off stage.

"I think those two are more in to it then Anisette," Ed declared, "should we follow them."

"We wrote the song, I wanna hear the review," Vine declared.

"Yes, let's go!" Al agreed as the three Alchemists followed the cadets.

….

"That was wonderful darling," Edy cried as Anisette and the others approached it.

"Oh, I'm so glad you liked it, sister Edy," Anisette shouted joyfully.

"Of course, darling. Now, I would feel guilty if I didn't repay you in kind. Ooh, how about a song from me?"

"Oh, would you! Oh please!" Anisette pleased.

"Oh would you not? Oh please don't," Vine groaned.

"Only for you Anisette. How could I say no? Now then, here we go?"

"What's wrong Vine?" Ed asked.

"You might wanna cover your ears," Vine replied.

"_You stooooood…._

_Always smiiiiiliiing…_

_Ever quiet, ever tender…"_

"Ah, I feel like I'm being assaulted!" Ed shouted.

"What is this grinding, screeching… how is this singing!" Avan cried.

"Edy, please!" Vine begged. Edy suddenly stopped cold.

"Oh no, Vine, I'm so sorry, that was terribly insensitive of me!" Edy exclaimed bowing apologetically.

"It was?" Ed asked glancing at Vine who just shrugged his shoulders in obvious confusion.

"Edy knows she's tone deaf," Vine whispered to Ed, "but I've never known her to apologize for it."

"Vine, don't you know what that song is?" Welkin asked.

"Should I?" Vine replied glancing back at his comrade.

"It's Isara's song, 'A Love Passed On,'" Alicia revealed, "it's the song Rosie always sings." Vine's eyes lit up as realization dawned on him.

"Vine, when's the last time you saw Rosie?" Welkin asked.

"When was the last time I saw you?" Vine asked.

"That's different. It's not like you were just gonna pay a random visit to Lanseal and find us here, but Rosie's been traveling all over the world since the war. She's even been in Amestris, you've never gone to see her even once?" Welkin asked in wonder.

"I… alright, I've been avoiding her. I can't… I can't face her just yet," Vine revealed, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but… I'm even more afraid to face Rosie then I've been to face you these last two years, Welks. I know, it's pathetic, but… I guess at the end of the day, in some ways I'm still running."

"Vine…" Welkin sighed. Just then, the Lanseal bells tolled out.

"What the heck?" Vine wondered aloud.

"That's an invasion siren! Lanseal is under attack!" Welkin realized.

….

"Don't let him through, no matter what!" a cadet shouted, "Julianna, we can't stop him!"

"Who is this guy?" Julianna exclaimed as a wall suddenly exploded behind her. She didn't have time to react as a strong hand grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground. Julianna stared in terror into the red eyes of an Ishvalan.

"Those who would stand in my way must be dealt with. I'll give you a moment to pray to your god," the man declared.

"Julianna!" Zeri's voice called as he opened fire on the man with a sub machine gun. The Ishvallan was forced to leap back, dropping Julianna as he did.

"Zeri!" Julianna exclaimed in surprise as Scar dodged bullets and charged Zeri, grabbing him by the throat next. "ZERI!"

"Those markings on your bandana… a Darcsen. One of your kind is responsible for a great deal of my peoples sufferings and I've come here to dispense justice upon him. I suggest you begin praying, Darcsen."

"Put him down, Ishvallan," a fierce voice demanded from behind the man. He turned and faced the Raging Blast Alchemist, who at the same time noticed the x shaped scar on the man's face. "I see. You must be Scar," Vine declared coldly, "I'm guessing you've come here for answers. Well I'm the one who has them for you, not him. If you want to fight, then fight me!"

"You are… the Raging Blast Alchemist," Scar declared dropping Zeri. Within seconds, Ed had grabbed Zeri and pulled him back over to Julianna.

"Is he…?" Julianna asked.

"He'll be alright," Ed replied, "but why is he here."

"Stay out of this, Fullmetal. Are you here for answers about Ishval, Scar? Is that what you want!" Vine shouted.

"It seems you know why I am here," Scar replied coldly, "you were certified as a State Alchemist only two years ago, during Europa War II, yet you have records of being in Ishval during the civil war which ended seven years ago!"

_What? I didn't think about that. Vine said he was in Ishval, but the Raging Blast Alchemist didn't become a State Alchemist until just two years ago, _Ed realized, _what's going on?_

"I want your word that you won't hurt anymore of these cadets. From here on this matter is between you and me, Ishvalan!"

"Very well, you have my word. So long as they do not intervene, they shall not be harmed," Scar declared.

"Did you all hear that!" Vine shouted to all the cadets around him as Avan and Class G arrived, "I'm giving you a direct order! Do not intervene!"

"Is he crazy!" Julianna gasped.

"Vine…"

"That goes for you too, Fullmetal. I have to handle this by myself. Don't worry Mouse; this is nothing like what happened with Baldren Gassenarl. Alright Scar, if this is how you want it, then if you can defeat me, I'll tell you everything you want to know about my involvement in Ishval. No lies, no fabrications, just the facts. I give you my word upon my Darcsen blood."

"If that is how you want it," Scar replied, "then I will fight you."

"Let's do this then!" Vine shouted as Darcsen and Ishvallan squared off.

**Ending Theme: Tsunaida Ta (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"You want the truth about Ishval, Scar, fine, then I'll give it to you, but you're not going to like it."

"I've defeated you, Raging Blast Alchemist, now tell me what I want to know."

"Alright, I was in Ishval, but not as the Raging Blast Alchemist."

"Vine, what're you talking about."

**NEXT TIME: LIES FROM THE PAST The True Raging Blast**

"My whole life… has been nothing but a lie."


	20. Chapter 20

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 19

LIES FROM THE PAST

The True Raging Blast

**Opening Theme: Rewrite (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

It was Scar who made the first move, charging quickly at Vine who just managed to evade the man's right arm. Grabbing the arm, and heaving with all his might, Vine was able to throw the Ishvallan over his shoulder and into the ground. The attack was largely ineffective however as Scar climbed right to his feet and came at Vine again. The battle continued this way for some time, Vine barely dodging Scar's destructive arm as Scar drove the Raging Blast Alchemist further with every swing. It was painfully obvious who had the advantage as things stood.

"Gahhh, Vine's gonna get killed if this keeps up! We gotta do something!" Avan shouted.

"No, stay back," Ed cautioned, "I'll admit, it doesn't look good right now, but doesn't anything seem strange to you?"

"What do you mean, Brother?"

"I mean that in all the missions we've been on with Vine so far, I've never seen him fight like this. He's being sloppy and giving Scar the chance to hit him. Either he's really tired, really off his game, or he's up to something."

"You're sloppy. You're nothing like the Raging Blast Alchemist I'd heard you were," Scar declared as their fight continued.

"I don't put much stock in rumors. I'm not the only one who doesn't live up to the stories about him. You're good, but your far from the invincible serial killer I heard you were," Vine replied.

"Is that right, then why aren't you fighting back?" Scar demanded swinging for Vine again who stepped backwards as he did, dodging the attack, but tripping and losing his footing as he did. "Now I have you!"

"Vine!"

"Don't start celebrating yet!" Vine shouted pulling a Blast Alchemy gloved hand from inside his cloak. Blast Glove and Destructive arm clashed at point blank range, blowing both Raging Blast and Scar several feet away from one another. Both fighters shot to their feet and charged at each other, swinging their right hands at each other almost simultaneously. Once again, Blast met Destruction, kicking up a fierce wind that forced the watching cadets to cover their faces to protect them from the wind.

"So you do have some fight in you, then," Scar declared.

"I can't be as careless with my Blast Alchemy as you can with your power. It's difficult to control the range the blast travels while I'm in combat so if I fire a large blast, I risk damaging Lanseal or hurting some of these kids. I don't get the luxury of not caring who gets hurt over my own vendettas, Scar!" Vine replied placing his hand into the ground and transmuting a lance, "COME!" Scar did, swinging at Vine who dodged the attack and slashed for Scars head. Scar ducked under the attack and lashed out with a counter attack, which Vine vaulted over using the lance as a pole. The two continued to battle fiercely for some time as the cadets of Lanseal watched in awe.

"Darn it, where's Colonel Mustang!" Avan shouted.

"You didn't hear? Colonel Mustang left the academy this morning. He's going to meet the new transfer students who'll be arriving tomorrow!" Julliana replied.

"You're kidding. Gah, of all the rotten timing!" Avan shouted as Vine jumped back from another attack.

"Now I have you!" Scar shouted grabbing for Vine's head. Vine put his lance in the way, but the destructive force of Scar's attack destroyed the lance and blew Vine flat onto his back. Vine flipped to his feet and transmuted a wall between him and Scar, blocking Scar's next attack. The wall exploded and Vine was pelted with debris from the attack. He was able to regain his feet, but quickly dropped to his knees, clutching his right shoulder.

"Now, it's time for you to tell me what I want to know," Scar declared.

"There are some things, Scar… that are better left secrets," Vine replied.

"If you don't talk, then I'll begin killing these cadets until you do," Scar declared.

"Heh, you really can… be pretty cruel when you want to be. Guess I shouldn't be surprised, after all, I heard about what you did to the Sewing Life Alchemist and his little girl. Fine, you want answers… you'll get them, but don't say I didn't warn you. Seven years ago, I was in Ishval, but I wasn't there as a State Alchemist. I don't know what I thought I was getting into. Maybe I honestly thought I was going to help those people. I was an up and coming young Alchemist who was rapidly learning Weapons based Alchemy when Fuher King Bradley petitioned Archduke Randgriz for Gallian soldiers to aid in Ishval. At the time, the war was entering its seventh year, and I was just old enough to sign on, so despite my father's objections, I signed up. I thought it could help me realize my goals of becoming a State Alchemist once the Amestrians saw my Alchemical talent. I quickly discovered that my father had known what I hadn't. I wasn't there to help the Ishvalans, I was there to exterminate them. I was there for a few months, most of which time, I spent waiting for a court martial for smuggling Ishvalan women and children out of the country to places where they'd be safe. Realizing what would no doubt happen to me if I stayed, my father, whose family had been living under the assumed identity of the Raymond family, revealed his, and therefore my, Darcsen heritage. Funny thing is, I hadn't even known that he was keeping it a secret. I certainly didn't while I was there, I mean, I've had this same Darcsen headband since Ishval atleast. However, my father's official declaration changed things. A few days later, I was honorably discharged from military services and returned to Gallia, ending my involvement in Ishval."

"Don't lie to me. I've seen the records. Someone was in Ishval as the Raging Blast Alchemist!" Scar shouted.

"The records were changed!" Vine shouted angrily, "I received word of it from the late Gallian Prime Minister Borg, just after I received my certification. The government was having trouble justifying their actions during the war. A lot of Amestrians were beginning to protest that what the government did to the Ishvalans was wrong. They needed a way to make it seem that they had justifiably exterminated the Ishvalan race… and what better way to get people to hate someone else, then to make it appear that even one of the most detested races in all of Europa, the Darcsens, viewed the race as something fit only for extermination. If garbage looked upon a race as garbage, then what did that make that race to normal Amestrians? My records were changed. Private 1st class Vine, the trouble soldier from Randgriz was replaced by Major Vine, the Darcsen Raging Blast Alchemist. A hero who served honorably and tirelessly towards the execution of the Fuhrers blasted cursed order 3066, the Ishvalan extermination act. It had the effect that Amestris' leaders wanted. Since then, they've had next to no problems from anyone protesting their treatment of Ishvallans during the war or currently. Meanwhile, I've been painted as a hypocrite. A Darcsen seeking acceptance through alchemy while professing hatred towards Ishvalans, and I wonder why I'm usually looked down upon by my own kind. Tell me, Ishvalan, was that the answer you wanted to hear?"

"I see, so that's how it is. Do you have any idea how Ishvalans suffer every day because of you. You wretched Darcsen, how can one like you who knows so much of suffering be willing to inflict that suffering on others? You inhuman monster, you are fortunate that I am not without mercy. I'll give you a moment to pray, before I end your filthy life."

"Vine!" Ed shouted clapping his hands together and forming his automail blade.

"Shut up," Vine hissed climbing to his feet, "do I have any idea how Ishvalans suffer every day? Do I know how much suffering I've inflicted? Of course I do, I live with it every day. No matter what I do, I can't escape it! DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT!" he shouted angrily as he fired a blast at Scar. Caught completely off guard, Scar swung forward with his destructive arm, dissolving the blast as it hit him while knocking himself several feet back.

"That whole mess started because an Amestrian soldier killed an Ishvalan child… a little girl!" Vine shouted, "The Ishvalans had every right to be angry, and Amestris had the gall to consider them fit for extermination because of it. At least in my case, if the myths are true, it was the Darcsens who started it, but that wasn't the case for Ishval. The Amestrians started it and then decided it would be easier to kill all of the Ishvalans, and I decided to help them do it! I can never forgive myself for that!" Vine shouted running at Scar. Scar swung for Vine's head, but the Raging Blast Alchemist ducked under the attack and pounded his right fist into scars stomach, causing the Ishvallan to double over and open himself up to a left hook to the jaw. "I'm still helping them. Every day, innocent people die because of me, because I don't have the guts to say enough! I'd like to let you kill me! It'd certainly make my life a whole lot easier, but I can't fix anything while I'm dead. There's a little girl on the other side who died because I couldn't protect her. I can't face her yet. Not until I set things right. I'm taking responsibility for the things I've done Scar, and someday, I'll gladly pay for them. Can you say the same! What about all the people who've suffered because of what you've done? All the people you've killed? Do you stop to think about that before you start making accusations? I KNOW WHAT I'VE DONE SCAR! I DON'T NEED A MURDERER TO REMIND ME OF IT! If this cannot be ended without one of us dying tonight, then get ready, because I won't be the one to die her tonight. However, I'd rather not be responsible for the suffering of another Ishvalan if I can avoid it. Leave now. I won't even tell Colonel Mustang you were here. As far as anyone knows, you and I never had this conversation. Live or die, Scar, it's your decision, because this time, I won't be holding back out of guilt."

The area was completely silent for several minutes and when the silence finally broke, it was Vine who spoke again. "It's funny, when I woke up this morning, all I wanted to do today… was go to the concert of someone I cared about, but I can't even do that without causing trouble. What's it going to be Scar? Let's end this insanity now, before anyone else has to get hurt for it. Haven't we both suffered enough?" Scar's eyes lit with surprise at the final words.

"You intend to set things right?" Scar said, Vine was surprised. He was certain he was the only one who saw Scar smile, "I look forward to seeing it, Darcsen Vine," he said quietly so that only he and Vine could hear what he said. A gentle wind blew as the Ishvallan and the Darcsen stared at each other for a short while longer. Then without another word, Scar turned and departed as Vine watched. In spite of everything else that had happened that night, both knew that they had gained the other's respect.

….

The first light of daybreak found Vine sitting against the wall of the academy building, staring out at the rising sunset.

"Here to lecture me, Fullmetal? Tell me how much of a fool I was for letting Scar get away?" he said suddenly.

"Scar? What're you talking about? Everyone in the school is talking about that tank accident that took down a couple of the academy's walls, but I haven't heard anything about Scar," Ed replied.

"Yeah," Al declared, "hey, speaking of which, shouldn't we get those walls put back up before Colonel Mustang gets back?"

"What do you think I've been doing all night?" Vine replied, "haven't been sleepin' that's for sure, too much on my mind."

"So you were in Ishval, but you weren't in Ishval. Kinda interesting how that works out, huh? So who else knows about it, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Among the living, you two, me, a school full of cadets and instructors, a scarred Ishvalan, Welkin Gunther, and Colonel Mustang, but I also told Isara before she died."

"I see, that's gotta be pretty tough. Still, I think it's pretty cool that your so determined to fix your own problem. Any idea how you're gonna do it?" Ed asked.

"The first thing I need is a change in Amestrian leadership," Vine replied, "and I can't think of anyone I'd rather see in the position then our colonel in common."

"You're kidding, him? Why, there's got to be a better choice for Fuhrer then Mustang," Ed sighed.

"Yeah, who? Not you and certainly not me," Vine replied, "I think Mustang's the best choice between the three of us at least."

"That's not saying much," Ed declared.

"Heh, maybe not," Vine replied, "even so, that's only a start. I've got a long road ahead of me if I want to fix anything. Come to think of it, I'm not the only one with a long road ahead of me, am I, isn't that right you two?"

"Guess not," Ed replied looking at his right arm, "I guess none of us can stop until we've found what we've lost, whether it's our bodies or our pride."

"Pride… guess that's one way to put it, though I'm not sure how accurate the word is… I think I'd lean more to self-worth. Alright you two, I have a proposition for you. Equivalent Exchange, you help me and I'll help you, sound like a deal?" Vine asked holding up his hand.

"You bet it does," Ed replied reaching up and clapping his hand against Vine, "count me in."

"Me to," Al declared as he clapped his own hand against Vine's.

"Alright, then here's a start for you two. I'm sorry I can't tell you anything about it, but I can tell you this much. I've held a Philosopher stone in my hand once a long time ago. I know they're real," Vine revealed.

"Really! Do still have it?" Ed asked.

"No, I'm sorry, the one I had wasn't exactly perfect. A lot of its power was gone when I got my hands on it. I used it once to heal an injured soldier during the war and it shattered when I was done, but if the incomplete product can be turned out, it stands to reason that a complete one could be made as well."

"Really! That's great! Now we have a place to start looking!" Al shouted excitedly.

"Like I said, it's a long road, but we've got to start somewhere," Vine declared.

"Vine! Shorty!" an excited voice called. Vine and Ed looked in the direction of the voice to see Aliasse running towards them with Sarah hot on her heels.

"Oh, hey Ali," Vine said.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING PUNY LITTLE SHRIMP!"

"Come on! Hurry, you've gotta see it! Come on! Come on!" Ali shouted grabbing Ed and Vine's hands and pulling them with her while Sarah grabbed Alphonse and led him behind Ali.

"Easy Ali, what's got you so excited?" Vine asked as Ali led them to the Class G flower garden.

"Look! Look!" Ali shouted pointing at the garden, "there are green things coming out of the ground!"

"The flowers are sprouting!" Sarah said excitedly.

"Wow, they are!" Ed shouted as he and Al got down on their hands and knees and looked at the sprouting flowers.

"Is that good? Have I been doing a good job?" Ali asked.

"That's great Ali, good work," Vine declared ruffling the young Valkyrur's hair, "keep it up and they'll bloom before ya know it."

"Hooray!" Ali shouted.

"Can I help you, Ali?" Sarah asked.

"Sure! Hey Big Guy, loan us your head, please! We need to water 'em and I don't want to go get the watering can!"

"What! No way, no one's using my head as a watering can again!" Al shouted covering his head.

"Oh fine, come on, let's go get the watering can. You can water half and I'll water half, okay!"

"Okay!" Sarah said excitedly as the two girls ran off to find the watering can.

"Heh, a Darcsen and a Valkyrur playing like they were best friends. It's nice to see, but I wish those two would leave some of this for Class G to take care of, it's supposed to be their project," Vine declared.

"Probably for the best that they do it instead. Could you imagine Joachim trying to weed this thing?" Ed asked laughing.

"We wouldn't have any flowers left," Al declared as both he and Vine laughed as well.

"These flowers still have a long way to go before they bloom, but they've taken their first steps. I wonder if it's scary for a flower. I mean they probably felt pretty safe nestled there underground. It had to take some real courage to stick their heads out into this wide open world," Vine declared.

"Yeah, but I bet Ali and Sarah caring for them made it a little less scary. Just knowing there was someone up here who wanted to see them and help them on their way," Al declared.

"Just knowing there was someone who wanted to see them and help them on their way," Vine repeated, "not bad, Al. I think you may be onto something there. Maybe in some ways, we people are like flowers. Comfortable in our own little patches of dirt waiting for someone to come and help us along so we can sprout and someday bloom into a beautiful blossom."

"Wow, that was kinda sappy," Ed declared, "but maybe your right."

"Way to ruin it, Half Pint," Vine declared.

"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!"

"I thought it was beautiful Vine," a woman's voice called behind them. The three alchemists looked up to see Alicia and Welkin standing a short distance away. "It almost sounded like something Welkin would say."

"Great, I'm starting to sound like a nature geek," Vine sighed, "it's just not my day."

"Well maybe this'll make it better," Welkin declared, "Colonel Mustang just got back a few minutes ago and I just got you three days leave. You're coming with me on a little trip."

"Huh? Little trip? What're you talking about?" Vine asked.

"We're going to visit someone," Welkin replied, "don't worry, I think you'll like it."

"Oh man, I've got a bad feeling about this," Vine declared standing up, "whenever you say you think I'll like it, rarely if ever do I actually end up liking it."

"Oh don't be so negative, Vine," Alicia ordered, "I promise you'll like it, okay."

"They both endorse it? Now I'm really worried."

"You jerk, come here!"

"Oww, hey, this is discriminatory, Valkyria shouldn't pick on Darcsens, how's that… owww!"

"I'm not picking on you because I'm a Valkyria, I'm picking on you because you're a jerk."

"Fair enough."

"Did they bicker like this during the war?" Ed asked Welkin.

"Ah, it's good to see some things never really change," Welkin declared laughing happily.

**Ending Theme: Shunkan Sentimental (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"So where are we going Welks?"

"We're visiting an old friend."

"Really? Who?"

"Someone I know is going to want to see you."

"Uh, Welks, who're we meeting in a graveyard?"

"I think you already know the answer to that."

**NEXT TIME: THE WARRIORS VOW A Love Passed On.**

"It's… been a long time, Is."


	21. Chapter 21

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 20

THE WARRIORS VOW

A Love Passed On

**Opening Theme: Rewrite (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

"Colonel, you need to sign these. They're the entry forms for the new cadets," Hawkeye declared laying a stack of papers on Mustang's desk.

"Why do they need my signature? Isn't that the Headmaster's job?"

"Right now, sir, you are the headmaster."

"Right, darn it, just my luck," Mustang sighed grabbing the first paper from the stack, "Vario Kraatz, Class G, hobbies, music and women."

"Sounds like your kinda guy, Colonel," Vine declared entering the room, "did you say Vario Kraatz? Crap, so much for my hope of getting a normal student in Class G." Though Vine was still wearing his red cloak and headband, his Amestrian uniform had been replaced by a brown jacket, white shirt, and black pair of pants."

"Well look at you, don't you just look dashing, Raging Blast. Going to meet a girl?" Mustang asked teasingly.

"Haha, honestly, I have no idea. Welkin just said we're meeting an old friend. Speaking of, Welks and Licia are waiting for me at the front gate, so I need to hurry. Just thought I'd let you know I was off. Anything you need me to do while I'm gone?"

"Nope, enjoy your vacation, Raging Blast, because you can count it's the last one you're gonna have for a while," Mustang replied.

"Is that a promise?" Vine asked, "alright then, I'll check in when I get back."

….

"There you are," Welkin called as Vine walked up to him and Alicia, "you ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be I guess. You comin' with us Licia?"

"Nope, I'm gonna stay here and hold down the fort. I think you two need to catch up," Alicia replied, "a little guy time, ya know?"

"Uh, can't say I do," Vine replied, "alright, so where're we goin anyway?"

"Can't ruin the surprise Vine, but I know you haven't been there in a long time," Welkin replied.

"Alright, but at least tell me who we're seeing," Vine pleaded as Welkin started to walk out the gate.

"Someone you haven't visited in a long time, and who I know what's you to visit them," Welkin replied.

"So it's someone I know… hmmm, guy or girl?"

"I'm not telling."

"Oh come on, just a hint?" Vine pleaded.

"No!"

"Yeesh, don't have to yell. You're no fun."

"Have fun you two and stay safe!" Alicia called, "I'll see you when you get back!"

….

It was late in the day when Vine and Welks arrived in Randgriz. "So the person lives in Randgriz. It's not Captain Varrot, is it?"

"I think the captain's visiting Largo on their farm right now. By the way, it's Captain Potter now, not Captain Varrot?" Welkin revealed.

"What! Veggie-nut and the Captain… no way!" Vine replied, "man, why am I always the last to know?"

"Well, it's hard to send you a letter when you fail to leave a forwarding address," Welkin replied laughing, "it's too late to visit the person now, but I think Cordelia wouldn't mind getting a visit from you. I'll go get us rooms at the motel if you want to go visit her."

"Huh? Uhhhhhh… sure I guess," Vine replied, "alright, I'll see ya later then."

"Right, we'll meet in the town square in an hour, sound good?"

"Sounds good, see ya then," Vine replied as the two went their separate ways.

….

Archduchess Cordelia sat in the audience hall of Castle Randgriz staring tiredly up at the ceiling.

"Something wrong, Archduchess?" one of her guards, a young woman with short dark hair asked.

"Hmmm, oh, sorry Elysse, I'm just a little hungry is all," Cordelia replied.

"It's almost dinner time, but I think the cook just finished a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls. You want me to send for some?" Elysse asked.

"That would be wonderful, thank you Elysse," Cordelia replied smiling.

"Alright, I'll be right ba… baaaack!" she suddenly screamed looking towards the entrance.

"What's wrong?" Cordelia asked looking towards the entrance.

"Man, why do you always have to scream?" Vine asked as he walked into the room with a long metal pipe slung casually over his shoulder and a single alchemy glove covering his right hand. He was smiling like a child.

"Vine!" Cordelia exclaimed happily as Elysse reached behind Cordelia's throne and grabbed a lance.

"I've got you now!" she shouted charging at Vine and swinging from overhead.

"Not likely," Vine replied, sidestepping the attack as he transmuted the pole into his sword. Elysse swung twice more. Vine ducked the first and knocked the second away with his sword, forcing Elysse to try one more overhead slash. Vine sidestepped and planted his foot against the staff of the lance, pinning it against the ground as he brought his sword of up swung for Elysse's shoulder! Elysse yelped and closed her eyes waiting for an impact that never came. When she opened her eyes, Vine held a beautiful bouquet of metal flowers in place of the sword. Elysse chuckled as she dropped the lance and took the flowers.

"I almost had you that time," she declared laughing at the colonel.

"Sure did, you're getting good at that. If I don't keep training, you're gonna surpass me as a weapons wielder real soon, Elysse," Vine declared rubbing the back of his head and picking up the lance.

"Oh, don't even. I'll be happy just to be able to scratch you one of these days, Vine," Elysse declared.

"Vine!" Cordelia shouted running and throwing her arms around her friend, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm here on a few days leave from Lanseal. Welkin Gunther asked me to come and visit someone with him, so here I am."

"Is Lt. Gunther here?" Elysse asked.

"He's in Randgriz, but he didn't come with me here. I'm supposed to meet up with him in about 40 minutes in the town square, he's getting us rooms at a local inn," Vine revealed.

"Huh, maybe I'll go see him before you leave," Elysse declared, "So who're you visiting?"

"Haven't the foggiest idea, to be honest. Welks is keeping it a big secret. I'll find out tomorrow," Vine replied.

"Well, I'm glad that you were able to make time to come and see me while you were here, Vine," Cordelia declared, "Elysse, weren't you about to send for some cinnamon rolls? Please make sure you send for enough for Vine as well."

"Yes ma'am, of course," Elysse replied as she went to fulfill the Archduchess orders.

"That kid, I'll be honest, I'm still a little surprised you decided to make her one of the royal guard, not that she's not a good choice, mind ya."

"Of course not, so how are you doing, Vine?" Cordelia asked.

"We're doing alright, Princess. It kinda sucks having to watch those kids fight like that, but I guess it's not much worse than seeing you have to run a country at your age. Even so, we've won some key victories in the south. If we keep going at the rate we are, Gassenarl won't hold out until the end of the year."

"I wasn't talking about the war, Vine. I want to know how you're doing, personally. Are you alright?" Cordelia revealed, placing her hand on Vine's. She looked worried.

"Well… had an Ishvalan try to kill me day before yesterday, that was tough, but I'll survive. I'm tougher then I look," Vine replied.

"I know, but I can't help but worry about you. Promise me one thing while you're here, Vine; visit Isara."

"What?" Vine asked, surprised by Cordelia's request.

"I know she's gone, Vine, but that doesn't mean she can't see you, and it certainly doesn't mean she doesn't want you to visit her. I know you're scared, but I also know that you're not the kind of man who waits long before he faces what he fears. Welkin intends you to meet one person tomorrow who you haven't seen in a long time. Would it hurt to see two?" Vine stood silent for a second, then pulled his hand away from Cordelia's.

"I got her killed, Cordelia. Why would she want to see me?"

"Vine… please, if not for yourself, then for me? I'm worried about you Vine. After the war, you disappeared for two years, and even now that your back, it's still like you're not even here. Like there's a wall between us, and you're trying to keep me out. Please, Vine. You can't run from her forever. I know Isara wants you to go see her," Cordelia pleaded.

"I… I won't make any promises, Cordelia, but… I'll try," Vine sighed in reply.

"I'm back, cinnamon rolls are right behind me," Elysse called running back into the audience chamber, "uhh, did I intrude on something."

"No, I was just leaving."

"Vine," Cordelia pleaded grabbing his hand, "you don't have to meet up with Lt. Gunther for another half an hour yet. Please, stay just a few minutes longer and have a cinnamon roll with me." Vine sighed.

"Alright, just one, then I've gotta go," Vine replied.

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Vine," Cordelia sighed with relief.

….

The next morning, Vine was up bright and early. "Hey, rise and shine, sleepy head," Vine ordered rolling Welkin out of his bed.

"Ahh, Vine, you're on leave, don't you ever sleep in?" Welkin asked.

"This coming from you ya bug nut. I'm surprised your still in bed," Vine replied.

"Guess you're right. Well, early to bed, early to rise I guess, so ready to go visit our friend?"

"At this hour? Won't they still be in bed?" Vine replied.

"No, I don't think so," Welkin replied, "she's always been an earlier riser after all."

"Ahha, so it is a she!" Vine shouted, "alright, let's see who're all the she's I know who live in Randgriz? Ah, I got nothing."

"It'll come to you soon enough," Welkin replied, "now let's go."

….

"So, is it… Susie?"

"No."

"Cherry?"

"No."

"Freesia?"

"No."

"Aika?"

"Are you just going down the list of Squad 7 girls?"

"Pretty much."

"Will you just stop, we'll be there soon and then you can see who it is," Welkin pleaded as he and Vine walked down the street of Randgriz.

"Fine, but where're we goin anyway? Where're we meeting 'em?"

"Here," Welks as he led Vine into a large cemetery.

"Uh… Welks, this is a graveyard," Vine declared, obviously confused.

"Perceptive as always Raging Blast Alchemist," Welks said laughing, "now come on, she'll be just over here."

"Okay, not the happiest place for a reunion," Vine sighed, "but whatever floats your boat, I guess."

"Here she is," Welks declared as Vine turned to look forward. There wasn't a person there. Instead, Welks was looking down at a gravestone."

"Huh?" Vine gasped in confusion looking down at the headstone. His eyes lit up with surprise as he read the words on the stone. Isara Gunther, Gallian Militia, Squad 7, Age: 16. "Welks… I…"

"Hey, Is. It's been a while. Sorry I haven't come to visit in so long," Welkin said looking down at the headstone. He was smiling, but Vine could see the sad tears in his eyes. "Hey, I found someone. I think you'll be happy to see him. It's your old friend, Vine. I know you remember him. He's been in Amestris since the war ended, so he hasn't been able to come see you, but he's here now Is. I'll let you two catch up alone for a bit. I'll just be right over there, okay?" he turned to Vine.

"Welks… what… I…" Vine stuttered.

"I'll give you a few minutes alone. Just talk to her, Vine. She can hear you, and… I know this'll make you feel better."

"Welks… I can't… I just…" he looked up as Welks grabbed his shoulder.

"A wise man told me that the events that leave us with scars are the ones we need to remember. That's why wounds heal, while scars only fade. Losing Isara, scared all of us Vine, but you weren't the one who inflicted that scar. I… I don't think Isara can rest in peace yet, because she's too sad, seeing you blame yourself for her death. You loved her and she loved you. It's time to let the scar fade, Vine. I'll be over there if you need me," Welkin declared as he left without another word. Vine stood speechless and stupefied for a few seconds before walking towards the headstone.

"I don't believe it. I didn't even know where it was," he moaned dropping to his knees and running his hand over the headstone. He was trying to hold back the tears, but it was a lost cause. "How much I loved you? You were like a sister to me, and I didn't know where they buried you. I'm sorry, Is. I'm so sorry. I… sorry, I've made you worry so much. You know, I've always been a bit of a knucklehead. You always did yell at me for being a slow learner. I uhh. I stopped using the Edelweiss' armor for weapon transmutations, so you don't have to worry about your tank anymore. I probably… should have done that anyone of the hundred times you asked me to stop, huh? You… still mad at me for that? I… I don't know, Is. Have I really been scared to face you all this time? I didn't even know where you were, because I was afraid. You have every right to hate me kid. It's been nothing but one broken promise after the other. I always talk about how much I loved you, how much you meant to me, and all I've ever done is let you down. Can you ever forgive me?" Vine was silent for almost a minute, as though waiting for an answer. He wasn't surprised when it didn't come. "I… I heard Rosie sang at your funeral. That song she sang for ya is quite a hit now, I hear. I'm sure you like it. I haven't heard it yet myself. I… You know how me and Rosie always were. I don't think there was ever a time we weren't fighting over this, that, or the other. If it weren't for you, we probably would have killed each other."

"Vine. I wonder what he's talking about over there," Welks sighed as he watched his friend, "Isara… I know you'd want me to help him, but he just won't listen to me. He still blames himself, no matter what I say. He needs your help, Is. You think there's anything you can do for him?"

"Boss man?" a woman's voice called from behind him. He turned and looked in surprise as a lovely woman whose brown hair was tied up into two buns on either side of her head.

"R… Rosie?"

….

"What do you think kid? You probably think I should talk to her huh. You always wanted us to be friends, but now I'm afraid of what she might say. I'm scared Is. Marmota, Batomys, Selvaria Bles, Maximillion… I'd rather face every one of them without my alchemy gloves then face Rosie now. I can't face it. What if she hates me now? I always wanted to be her friend, with everything else that's happened, I don't want to know, kid. I just don't want to know. Although, I'll admit, I do wanna hear your song. What did Welkin call it? Edy was gonna sing it, but she stopped. I wish she'd kept going, just that once. 'A Love Passed On' that's the one. 'A Love Passed On' it's… a good name. I think I'd like it if I heard it, but… I don't know. I just don't know." He sat silent awhile, staring at the headstone, until a gentle sound broke the silence.

"_You stood always smiling_

_Ever quiet, ever tender_

_And I, a lost child_

_Always frightened, I remember_

_That you came and found me_

_Blinded by unshed tears."_

Vine shot to his feet and looked back to the source of the sound, a beautiful song that brought tears to the alchemists' eyes, which widened with surprise when he saw the singer.

"_The tear we cry are echoes_

_That tell what tomorrow will hold_

_And I wept_

_In your arms_

_And I heard_

_Bells ring out across the land_

_Bringing peace at last_

_To your heart my dearest friend_

_And now, the love that you gave me_

_Blooms and will live on_

_Through the tears in us all_

_Without end."_

A warm, gentle breeze blew as two comrades… faced each other for the first time in two long years.

"Vine," the beautiful woman said happily as tears began to spill out of her eyes.

"Rosie…" Vine stuttered as his own tears prevailed and fell freely down the Raging Blast Alchemist's cheeks.

**Ending Theme: Rain (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"Let me get this straight, Raging Blast, you just get back from three days leave, and now you want time off to go to a concert tonight."

"Uhhh… yes sir."

"Alright, Raging Blast, I'll let you go, but I have a condition. You have to convince Rosie to do a make up show for Class D and Class F tomorrow night."

"Uh… make up show, sir?"

"That's right. I can't leave Lanseal without cadets to defend it, so Class D and F will have to miss tonights. Here' I'd like you to distribute these tickets to Class G and Class A."

"Tickets! Colonel, you're an evil mastermind!"

"Not me, Welkin."

"Ahh, why me!"

**Next Time: THE RAIN FALLS Scars begin to Fade**

"I'll do it, Rosie, but just remember, you asked for it."


	22. Chapter 22

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 21

THE RAIN FALLS

Scars Begin to Fade

**Opening Theme: Rewrite (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

The wind continued to blow gently as both singer and soldier stared into each other's eyes. Welkin stood smiling a short distance away. He hadn't planned this, but he wondered if someone else might have. It was a minute before anyone spoke.

"Rosie… it's… it's been awhile, hasn't it," Vine said smiling.

"Yeah, it has," Rosie replied, returning the smile. "I uh, I heard what you were saying. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop… I just… ya know?"

"Yeah, I know," Vine replied calmly.

"Is it… true? Is that why you never came to see any of my shows or try to visit? You were scared. Why? Why were you scared? What reason could I have to hate you?" Rosie asked. Vine's looked down at the ground for a moment as though contemplating his answer before he spoke.

"I… I always wanted to see you two get along, to be… friends," he began, "I always acted like I was so angry with you. The way you looked at me… the way you treated Isara in the beginning, but deep down, I wanted so badly to help you. I knew how you were suffering, how all your big talk was nothing but an act to hide a little girl whose heart was in terrible pain, and I couldn't do anything to ease it. I couldn't help you, but Isara did. The first time I realized it was the day before the operation to Marberry. I had determined that I wasn't going with Squad 7 on the operation, and I was coming to wish you luck, when I saw you, Largo, and Zaka talking to Is in the Squad 7 barracks. Is had made you and Largo presents for the Feast of All Spirits the next day, and she was giving them to you. Largo took it right away, but little Rosie was being as stubborn as ever. My first instinct was to yell, but… I could see in your eyes that that day, it was different. It wasn't hatred or resentment, just pride., foolish pride that was already beginning to dissolve. You told her you couldn't keep the doll, but as Isara left, I saw you take it. I watched as you treated that doll… as though it were the most precious thing, you'd ever handled," Vine revealed reaching into his cloak and pulling his own doll out from around his neck, "like it was a precious treasure that you never wanted to part from."

"I still have it," Rosie declared reaching into a bag she was carrying and producing a doll similar in make, "is that the one she made you? She really put a lot of work into it. When I look at it from here, it kinda looks like her… you know, if she were wearing your cloak and headband."

"Yeah, that's what I thought when I saw it. Seeing the way you handled that doll, as though it had been given to you by a precious friend you never wanted to be parted from, it made me realize… even with Alchemy, there were things I couldn't do. Equivalent Exchange couldn't heal a wounded heart or fix a broken soul, but by just being the way she was… kind, gentle, tender… Isara was having just that effect on you. It made me so happy, that it's what eventually made me determine to join you on Marberry Shore, even if it meant my own death." Vine declared, closing his eyes as though thinking about a happy memory.

"I remember," Rosie replied, "I remember it well. We all would have died if you hadn't come to our rescue there, but that still doesn't explain… why you thought I'd hate you."

"I was supposed to be watching. I should have seen them coming. I should have been able to warn her, and stop them before they got to her, but I didn't. I didn't protect her and she died because of that. At first, I didn't realize it. I was heartbroken to have lost one of my dearest friends, but it never occurred to me that it was my fault. I didn't realize it… until I was walking through our camp late one night. A group of the sevens were talking in the supply tent. I was curious so… I went to investigate. You were there along with a few of the others, and I decided to stay quiet and listen to what you were talking about. It didn't take me long to realize… that you were talking about Isara's death… and how it was my fault. At first, I was angry. I wanted to burst out of hiding and confront you all. Find out how you'd even dare to think that I'd do anything to hurt Is, but the more I thought, the more I realized that you were right, and what pained me the most… was realizing that Is had meant something to you… that she'd helped you in a way I couldn't, and that you'd lost her because of me. It was the first time, but it wasn't the last I heard Squad members talking about it when I'd be patrolling camp late at night. Just before the funeral, I started to have nightmares about it, where Isara would blame me for what happened. The longer I thought about it, the more painful it became. I missed her funeral, for the first time since I had become I State Alchemist, I started using my power to get away from you, and ultimately, as soon as the opportunity presented itself, I accepted the promotion to Colonel and took command of Squad 72. I just couldn't continue to face you all. By then… I was convinced that everyone, you, Welks, Licia, Largo, Zaka, even Isara knew that it was my fault, and I couldn't take it anymore. So I ran, as far and as fast as I could, and I've been running ever since. Isara asked me once, if I'd try to be your friend. She knew that if we could show you that not all Darcsens were bad, that you'd change. She pleaded with me to try, but I was always to stubborn. Within hours of her death, I determined to try. I promised myself that I would try to be your friend, for her sake, but before I could do anything to make good on that promise, I overheard that conversation, and any hope of becoming friends with you crashed down around me. In my heart, I knew you had to hate me, and I couldn't face that pain, so I chose to avoid it. I'm sorry Rosie, I should have at least… I should have at least talked to you before now. I can understand if you hate me, but… I can't move on until I know. Rosie… do you hate me?" Vine asked looking at the ground, his voice breaking from emotion as he struggled to hide tears of sorrow. Rosie stood silent, staring at him for a long minute. He'd always been so strong, so sure of himself and his abilities. The man standing before her now seemed so unlike the Vine she'd known during the war.

"I remember that night…" Rosie replied, "it was the day after it happened and we were getting ready for the funeral. I couldn't sleep, so I went to the supply tent to see if I could get my hands on a snack. That's when I found some of the others, talking. I was curious, so I joined them and started listening to what they were talking about. They were discussing the morale in the camp after Isara's death and trying to figure out how they could help the boss cope with losing his little sister. Then the conversation turned to you, and how so many in the camp had started to come to them with complaints about you. How you were supposed to have been watching, how they weren't sure they could trust you anymore. I'll admit, if I had walked in when they were talking about that, I probably would've thought they were blaming you too, the way things were going. Did you happen to notice who else I was with?"

"No, I wasn't paying much attention. I saw you through the doorway, but I only heard the others voices," Vine replied.

"I was talking with Largo and Zaka, Vine, you're friends. They were trying to decide how they could help you and how they could get the rest of us to stop blaming you. I'll admit, I did at first, I thought it was all your fault, but when I listened to those two talk about it, I realized… they were right. The only person in the squad who loved Isara more then you was Welkin. You would have gladly taken that bullet for her if you could have, and you would have never let her get hurt. Not if you could have done anything about it. When you left the squad, we all started to question what we'd been saying. It didn't take long after you left for those who had been angry and blamed you to become scared that you blamed them and that that was why you left. Losing you… it hurt almost as much as losing Is, and a lot of us, didn't know what to make of it. I eventually came to the conclusion… that you hated me," Rosie revealed.

Vine looked up in surprise. "That… I hated you? Why?" Vine asked wiping the tears away from his eyes.

"I was right there. If I had been just an inch to the right, that bullet would have struck my heart, not hers. I'd be dead… and she'd still be alive. I was certain… that you hated me for living when Isara died because of it," Rosie revealed beginning to cry. Vine was stunned; he'd never imagined that Rosie might be as scared of him as he had been of her. Both stood still for a few more moments, until finally, Vine moved towards Rosie and wrapped his friend in his arms.

"How could you even think that?" Vine asked, "that I wanted you dead instead? Rosie… I'm so sorry. I never imagined… that I was hurting you like this. I don't hate you Rosie, I never have and I promise, I never will." He felt Rosie's trembling stop as he held her and she buried her face in his cloak. "There we go, that's better," Vine declared smiling, "now let's see a smile."

"You bum, you never change do you," Rosie declared, "and just so you know… I don't… hate you either." Vine was silent for a moment.

"Thanks Rosie."

"Thanks for what? Hey, could ya let me go, before someone sees us?"

"Too late for that, you know Welkin's standing right over there, right," Vine declared letting Rosie go.

"Oh yeah, forgot about him."

"Thanks, that makes me feel really special," Welkin declared walking up to the two. The three friends stood together for a quite a while, looking down at the grave of a little girl who had changed all three of their lives.

….

"So, Rosie, you're back in Gallia for a concert, aren't you?" Welkin asked an hour later as the three walked through the streets of Randgriz. It was time for Vine and Welkin to begin their return trip to Lanseal, and Rosie had decided to come with them.

"Yep, every year, around this time, I come back for a homecoming tour, and to visit Isara," Rosie revealed, "that reminds me, Vine."

"That's me," Vine replied.

"I need to ask you something. I… need a favor," Rosie replied.

"Okay, but can you give me a minute? I just thought of something I need to do before we head back to Lanseal," Vine pleaded.

"Uh sure, do you want us to come with you?" Rosie asked.

"No," Vine called running off, "just wait for me here, I'll be back in a minute."

"Where's he off to in such a hurry?" Rosie wondered.

"Judging from the direction he's going, I'd say Castle Randgriz," Welks replied.

….

Cordelia sat calmly upon her throne looking out at the Randgriz assembly hall.

"You sure you don't wanna go out, Archduchess?" Elysse asked.

"Perhaps later, Elysse. For now, I'm hopeful that we'll have a visitor before the day ends," Cordelia replied.

"You think Vine'll stop by today?"

"He will, only if he visits Isara as I suggested, and I hope that he has," Cordelia replied.

"He has," a voice declared as Vine entered the room carrying both a bouquet of real flowers and a bouquet of metal ones.

"Hi Vine!" Elysse shouted.

"Don't get the lance Elysse, I don't have much time. Welks and Rosie are waiting for me at the edge of town," Vine declared handing her the metal flowers, "we'll spar again the next time I'm in town." He glanced up at Cordelia who had stood up and was smiling as she walked towards him. "Hey, hold these for me for a second will ya?" Vine asked handing the bouquet of real flowers to Elysse as well and walking towards Cordelia.

"Vine did you…" Cordelia began, but was cut off as Vine surprised both her and Elysse by putting his arms around the Archduchess and kissing her. It wasn't a long or romantic kiss, but it still left Cordelia blushing when Vine pulled away. Elysse giggled a bit as she handed the flowers back to Vine who then gave them to Cordelia.

"You were right, Cordelia, I know what I have to do now," Vine declared smiling at the Archduchess, "you can just leave everything to me now. The real Raging Blast Alchemist is back." Cordelia smiled as she looked up at her dear friend.

"I can tell. It's been a while since you've greeted me so… affectionately. I'm glad you're back, Vine."

"Well, I've still got a long ways to go, but at least I'm back on track. Well, I'd better get going. I need to be back in Lanseal tonight and Rosie had something she needed to ask me. I'll see you later, Cordelia," Vine declared turning to leave.

"Farewell, Colonel Vine," Cordelia replied. As soon as he'd left, she looked over to the still giggling Elysse. "Elysse, I need you to do me a favor. Prepare some normal clothing for both you and myself."

"Uh, Archduchess," Elysse replied in surprise.

"I know what Rosie is going to ask Vine, and I wish to be there. Don't tell the other guards, but you and I will be attending a concert," Cordelia revealed. Elysse hesitated for a moment, but then her eyes lit up with glee!

"I'll be ready in ten minutes, mi'lady!" Elysse declared running off to make preparations.

"I'm glad, but the concert is not until tomorrow night," Cordelia replied laughing happily.

….

"Let me get this straight, Raging Blast," Colonel Mustang ordered, "you just got back from three days leave yesterday and now you want time off to go to a concert tonight. Did I leave anything out?" Vine now stood in Colonel Mustang's office and had just requested leave for Rosie's concert that night.

"Yes sir," Vine sighed, "though I completely understand if you don't…"

"Done," Colonel Mustang declared.

"What?"

"Actually, it's funny you should ask. See, Rosie just agreed last night to provide free tickets to every student in Lanseal, but since I can't have the entire academy gone in one day, she's agreed to do a make-up show for classes D and F tomorrow night, isn't that great?" Mustang asked, sounding a little to joyful for Vine's liking.

"Who told you?" he demanded angrily.

"I have no idea what you're…"

"It was Welkin, wasn't it," Vine declared.

"That's hardly important, Raging Blast," Mustang replied smugly as he pulled out a stack of tickets, "right now; your only concern is to distribute these tickets to Squads A and G."

"Squad A? How'd I get stuck with them?" Vine asked, looking at the tickets in utter confusion.

"Oh that's right, you wouldn't know because you've been gone the last few days. Ms. Everheart's had quite the change of heart. It seems that she's become quite close with that boy Zeri from Squad G. You'd think he'd saved her life or something while I was gone. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Raging Blast?"

"Uhhhhhh…" Vine replied thinking back he froze as he remembered that Zeri had saved Julianna during Scar's attack!

"Well, something ring a bell? Anything I should know about?"

"Uhhh, no not really!" Vine replied shaking his head frantically.

"Well, if you say so. Just go give your squads the tickets. We've even got a couple of extra so you can bring along those two little girls who've taken over Class G's flower project."

"Heheh, uhh, you know about that then, huh?" Vine sighed rubbing the back of his head.

"Get to work, Raging Blast."

"Yes sir," Vine groaned leaving the office.

….

"Man, how'd we get stuck carrying tickets to a concert?" Ed whined as he carried a good sized stack of tickets, "whose concert is it anyway?"

"Rosie. She's gotten really big over the last two years. Don't you remember, Brother? I asked you if we could go to her concert in central last year, but you said we didn't have time. Apparently, she's an old friend of Vine and Mr. Gunther. She's doing a special show for Lanseal Cadets and members of her old Militia squad from the war two years ago in a nearby town and we get to go!" Al exclaimed excitedly.

"You mean two of these tickets are for us? Ah man, do we really have time for this? There's a war going on, isn't there?" Ed sighed glancing back down at the tickets.

"Down time is just as important as combat, Fullmetal," a voice declared next to them. Ed nearly dropped his tickets as he stared up at Colonel Mustang.

"What the heck! When did you get here!" Ed shouted.

"I accidentally sent my ticket with Vine, so I'm here to get it back," Mustang replied.

"Wait, you're going too? Why?" Ed asked.

"Do you need to ask Fullmetal?" Mustang replied, "Bridgette 'Rosie' Stark is one of the hottest up and coming stars of our time, and tonight, she will be mine!"

"Huh… keep dreaming, what'd a singer want with an arrogant Colonel?" Ed replied looking away in disgust, "more likely you'll scare her off stage."

"I wouldn't expect a **little **kid to understand, Fullmetal," Mustang replied taking a ticket from the top of Ed's stack.

"**DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!" ** Ed shouted glaring angrily at the Colonel.

"Welkin! Tell me!" Alicia's voice shouted from a short distance away.

"Hey, isn't that Alicia?" Ed asked looking over to the bickering couple.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Gunther," Al said politely.

"You probably know to, don't you Ed!" Alicia said, "alright, talk. I wanna know what this big surprise is!"

"Alicia, if we tell you, it's not much of a surprise," Welkin protested.

"What're you talking about?" Ed asked.

"We haven't heard anything," Al declared.

"Oooo, Welkin and Vine met with Rosie while they were in Randgriz visiting Isara's grave. Now they're hiding something!" Alicia revealed, "I bet you know what it is, don't you Colonel!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Mustang replied, though it was obvious by his tone he was lying.

"Oooo, why won't anyone tell me!"

As Alicia steamed, a cry from the gate caught their ears.

"Hey, a student's trying to crawl over the gate!"

"Doesn't he know he'll get in trouble if he get's caught?"

"Ahh, why do I get the feeling I know who that is," Ed sighed.

"That new cadet, Vario, has been talking about this Rosie concert nonstop since he got here," Al revealed, "it has to be him."

"We'd better hurry and tell him he doesn't have to go AWOL to get to the concert before he goes and gets himself into even trouble," Ed declared as he and Al took off towards the main gate.

…

"Vario! Get down! You're going to get in trouble!" Avan shouted as he desperately tried to pull a boy with spiky brown hair off of the gate.

"Lemme go!" the boy shouted looking down at Avan and beginning to kick the class chair. He was wearing an eye patch over his left eye, "I gotta see her. This is her big homecoming concert, I'll die if I miss it!"

"You're gonna wish you're dead if you don't get off of that gate!" Ed shouted diving and grabbing Vario's other leg and beginning to pull.

"Lemme go! I'm… not… staying! You can't… make me!"

"We'll see about that!" Ed shouted angrily. The sound of snapping fingers behind him caused him to freeze. A feeling that was remedied rather quickly as a light flame suddenly passed over him, Avan, and Vario. The flame did the trick and Vario lost his grip, plummeting to the ground atop the charred Avan and Ed.

"Trying to AWOL, are we Vario Kraatz? It seems no one warned you, that's very poor for your health when you're assigned to me. After the concert tonight, you can count you're not going to enjoy the punishment I have in store for you," Mustang declared joyfully.

"Please Colonel Mustang! I gotta… wait… you said after the concert?" Vario asked rising to his knees and beginning to beg, "Wahoo, Colonel Mustang you are a saint. Come what may, I'll endure any punishment if it means getting to see my Rosie in action! Yeah!"

"His Rosie?" Avan gasped rising to his knees.

"Man, first the colonel then the guy with the eye patch, man being a star really isn't all it's cracked up to be," Ed sighed.

….

In the library, Julianna sat thumbing through a book as Zeri walked in.

"Julianna, isn't that…?"

"It's a book by the engineer, Theimer. I'm just reading about his theories for an experimental aircraft. It's really interesting," Julianna replied.

"Reading a book written by a Darcsen? That doesn't seem like you," Zeri declared looking over her shoulder at the book, "I had no idea the library had copies of this. I've wanted to read it for quite some time. Mind if I borrow it when you're through."

"It's weird seeing you two get along, but after that incident with Scar, I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Vine's voice called as the two cadets looked up to see the colonel a short distance away, "looks like you've found a common interest. I never knew old man Theimer, but I met his daughter, Isara. His Edelweiss tank used to be one of my favorite tools for weapon transmutations… until that kid of his tried to scramble my brains with a wrench for using the armor of her tank for weapons. I can't figure out why. I always fixed it when I was done."

"Well, look who's back," Zeri said, "what brings you here, Colonel?"

"You're the last names on my delivery list," Vine declared handing Zeri a ticket.

"What's this? A special concert by Rosie? As in that big singer who used to be part of the militia during the Empire's invasion?" Zeri asked.

"What? No way, why does only class G get to go?" Julianna whined, "I…"

"I said names, didn't I?" Vine replied holding up his last ticket and handing it to Julianna.

"Wait, are you… is…" Julianna began.

"Don't look at me, Colonel Mustang's the one who came up with the bright idea. Only Class D and F aren't able to come tonight and they get a special show tomorrow night to make up for it," Vine sighed, "I'll see you two tonight, later."

….

Night quickly came as the cadets of Lanseal arrived in the town square where Rosie was preforming her outdoor concert that night. "Oh, this is so exciting! Come on Ali, let's find a seat!" Cosette said excitedly.

"Okay, come on Sarah!" Ali ordered as the two younger girls happily followed the older one.

"Attending a concert in the middle of a war. I've got to hand it to Mustang, he certainly knows how to keep morale up," Zeri declared.

"No kidding. I've never been to a Rosie concert before, I'm totally psyched!" Avan shouted happily.

"Somehow, Hardins, I don't find that hard to believe," Julianna retorted.

"What's that supposed to mean, Julianna?"

"Hey, cut it out, both of you, let's just find a seat," Ed ordered, "hey Al, where's Vine?"

"He'll be along soon," Welkin declared as he and Alicia joined their young friends. Ed was surprised to see that Alicia was carrying what looked like a small winged piglet in her arms.

"What's with the pig?" he asked pointing curiously at the small animal.

"Hmm, oh, this is Hans. He's our pet porcavian," Alicia revealed, "and he was Squad 7's mascot during the war. It wouldn't be right if he wasn't here." Ed stared at the pig, his brow burrowed as though lost in thought.

_You know what this reminds me of, Welkin? It's like when Vine used to play with Hans back during the war._

"Hans… Hans… wait a second! WHO'RE YOU CALLING A SHORT LITTLE PORCAVIAN PIGLET RUNT!"

"Huh?" Alicia replied, obviously confused.

"Hey, come on, let's find a seat," Welkin pleaded.

"Hey! Lieutenant Gunther! Sergeant Melchiott! Over here!" an excited voice called. Elysse ran energetically up to join her former commanders with a cute young girl with short dark hair following calmly behind her.

"Huh, hey Elysse? What're you doing here, and who's this?"

"Hello, Lieutenant Gunther," the girl replied, "Elysse told me so much about you. It's a pleasure to meet you." Welkin recognized the voice almost immediately.

"C… Cordelia is that you?"

"Mr. Gunther, I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about," Cordelia replied smiling, "would it be alright if we sat with you?"

"Sure, we don't mind," Alicia replied smiling as well.

….

"Man, leave it to Mustang to make sure everyone I know who could come is here," Vine moaned looking out at the group from backstage, "this is a bad idea, Rosie."

"Oh come on, you're going to do just fine. Just do it like we practiced," Rosie replied.

"We only had one day to practice, that's not much," Vine declared, "Rosie… I have a confession to make," he continued as he began to tremble.

"Tell me after the show. It's time to start. Just do what I say when I say," Rosie ordered as she walked out on stage.

"Rosie! Gaaaaa," Vine whined in a high pitched squeal.

….

"Hey, quiet ya bums, Rosie's on stage!" Vario called back to Squad G which got him nailed in the head by a small rock.

"Who're you calling a bum you bum!" Ed shouted, "you're the one who's making all the noise!"

"Not anymore he's not," Zeri sighed.

"Wow, colorful crowd. You must be the Fullmetal Alchemist, I'll have to keep an eye on you," Rosie said chuckling as she walked on stage.

"Way to go, Brother, you just embarrassed us," Al whispered.

"Quiet Al, I don't need it from you," Ed ordered.

"Well, hi everyone," Rosie said smiling, "it's been a while since I was able to come home to Gallia, and tonight is a rather special night. Tonight, many of my former comrades from Militia Squad 7 are present as well as the brave young soldiers who are now putting their lives on the line from Lanseal Military Academy, in the face of this civil war. To see Gallia torn by war within its own soil after, so soon after our hard won peace against the Empire, it's hard to watch. Many of you know that during the war, I lost a dear friend. She died trying to bring peace to her country and now so many are casting aside that peace that she and so many others died for during the war. It's my tradition… to begin every concert with her song, 'A Love Passed On.' Just this once though, I'm going to make an exception to that. For a while now, I've been working on a new song paying tribute to my friend. I've had it ready for a while now, but the problem is… I wrote it as a duet, and I made a promise to myself that there was only one man I could ever sing it with."

"A new song? This is great, it's gotta be my lucky day," Vario cried as Ed punched him on top of the head with his automail arm.

"Keep it down, some of us actually want to listen!"

"Yesterday, after having not seen him in over two years, this man and I finally met again at the grave of our friend in common. I'll admit, it was kinda weird seeing him again after all this time, but I'm glad that I could find him again here in Gallia, because there's nowhere else I would rather debut this song then in the homeland my friend loved so much. Most of you know him already. For my Squad 7 comrades, he acted as mentor, comrade, and more than once, guardian during the Empire's invasion. Now, he protects our countries most courageous youth, the children of Lanseal, as they fight to end this civil war and restore peace to our homeland. So I ask now, that you welcome my friend, Colonel Vine, the Raging Blast Alchemist."

"What! No way, Welkin, is that the surprise?" Alicia asked.

"Yep, pretty neat, huh?" Welkin asked.

"So that's where he snuck off to. Makes sense I guess," Zeri declared.

"Yeah, but… where is he?" Al asked when Vine didn't walk out on stage.

"Uh, hey Vine, get your butt out here!" Rosie shouted as Vine finally inched onto the stage, "what's with you?"

"I tried to tell you… I got stage fright," came the reply.

"You're kidding? Stage fright? You? The man who stood in the line of fire of the Batomys without flinching is scared of the stage? There's irony for you," Rosie sighed, "come on, get up here."

"Wow, I never would have guessed that Vine would get stage fright," Welkin declared as Vine moved slowly onto the stage, sweating bullets the whole time.

"No kidding," Alicia replied, "I guess everyone has something they're scared of."

"Mooink," Hans grunted anxiously.

"This is terrible. What should we do, Brother? Vine's having a hard time up there," Al asked.

"I think it's kinda nice seeing him squirm for a change," Ed replied, "nice payback for everything he's done to me the last little while."

"Brother, that's horrible," Al replied.

"Alright Vine, just calm down, breathe, and focus," Rosie pleaded, "don't worry about them, just do it like we practiced."

"Easy for you to say," Vine replied as he glanced around the audience. It wasn't long before his eyes rested on Edward Elric whose face showed obvious pleasure at Vine's pain… which was quickly erased by annoyance. "Hey, keep smirking you puny little fish, and I'll make sure you never get any taller!" Ed's expression changed instantly from one of pleasure to one of surprised fury.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE'D GET LOST IN A JAR OF SAND! THAT'S IT, YOU'RE SO DEAD! HEY, LET GO OF ME AL, HE ASKED FOR IT!" Ed shouted angrily as he made to charge at the stage only to be held back by Alphonse.

"Okay," Rosie said smiling and shaking her head, "not the most subtle of tactics, but I'll take it. Are you ready now?" Vine's eyes lit with surprise as he realized what he'd just done.

"Uhhhh, yeah, I'm ready now."

"That was genius, Brother, getting Vine so annoyed he'd forget all about how scared he was."

"What're you talking about? Oh, I mean, of course, all part of the plan," Ed declared laughing as he glared angrily at Vine, _He's still gonna die for calling me short in public!_

Vine sighed and closed his eyes as an off stage band began to play the music, "man, no turning back now… here we go."

**VINE AND ROSIE:** _I see in front of my eyes,_

_All of these truth's all of these lies_

_As their colors go and fade away_

_Although you're close to me_

_And you're warmth covers me,_

_I can't keep these wandering thoughts at bay._

_You told me to go onward_

_And said my path will not be blurred_

_As you turned away and say good-bye_

_Those words of empathy_

_Do not encourage me_

_And I cannot help but break down and cry._

**VINE:**_ All of these memories, ringing endlessly inside my mind,_

_Have no intentions of forgiving me yet._

**ROSIE:**_ If I close my eyes, they only grow and start surrounding me._

_These memories that I can't forget._

**VINE AND ROSIE**_**:**__ The rain falls, I wonder if it ever will end?_

_It's so cold, the way that it's been for quite some time. _

_The rain falls, and I wonder why it chooses me now_

_When I have nowhere to hide myself from its cold._

**Vine**_: Though this untainted morning,_

_that I have finally reached to _

_is entangled by the past I knew. _

_Instead of moving on, _

_towards my own future_

_I was stuck in my own remorseful past. _

_The painful memories, _

_ringing endlessly inside of my mind. _

_Have no intentions of forgiving me now._

_Walking around blindly, _

_I think it's time for my own teardrops _

_to fall down my conflicted cheeks._

_The rain falls, I wonder if it ever will end?_

_It's so cold, the way that it's been for quite some time. _

_The rain falls, and I wonder why it chooses me now_

_When I have nowhere to hide myself from its cold._

**Rosie**_: The new day that I have found_

_I thought I'd finally found my way_

_But I kept chasing after the past_

_Instead of the future_

_You tried to give to me_

_I kept reaching out with my trembling hands_

_The painful memories, _

_ringing endlessly inside my mind. _

_Have no intentions of forgiving me now._

_The memories you gave_

_Causes these fumbling tear drops_

_to fall down my conflicted cheeks._

_The rain falls, I wonder if it ever will end?_

_It's so cold, the way that it's been for quite some time. _

_The rain falls, and I wonder why it chooses me now_

_When I have nowhere to hide myself from its cold._

By now even Ed had fallen silent. Vine and Rosie had to take a second to get control of their emotions before beginning the final verse. The audience on the other hand, was obviously beginning to feel the same emotions.

**VINE AND ROSIE**_: Our eyes that look to the past_

_Kindness that washes all away_

_Scars that fade at their own gentle pace_

_It seems I must move on_

_towards my own future_

_And let go of my own remorseful past._

**VINE**_: Your memory remains_

_Bringing warmth and light into my mind_

_I'll never forget the joy you gave to me._

**ROSIE**_: The memories you gave._

_Bring a smile and a tear drop_

_to fall down my conflicted cheeks._

**VINE AND ROSIE**: _The rain falls, but I know that someday it will end? _

_It's so cold, but I have your warmth to pull me through_

_The rain falls, but I don't mind that it chooses me now_

_Your warmth protects me and comforts me…_

**VINE**_: The rain falls, I wonder if it ever will end? _

_But today, it falls without resolution. _

**ROSIE**_: You held out your hand with an umbrella over my head. _

_You nestled with me, _

**VINE AND ROSIE**_: warming me with all your hope._

(Author's Note: The song begins as a fandub of Rain (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, but has a few fanmade verses added to make the song a better duet for Vine and Rosie. Also many thanks to Shadowlink4321 on youtube, whose own fandub helped me greatly to write this one for Invaders of Gallia).

Vine smiled a bit as the crowd began to cheer. "Hey, not bad for one day's practice, right?"

"You knucklehead, don't ruin the moment," Rosie said quietly as she shook her head.

"Huh, oh, right," Vine sighed looking back out at the crowd. His eyes lit with surprise as he thought he saw someone in the back of the square for second.

"Vine… did you…" Rosie began.

"I think I'm going crazy, Rose… I think I just saw…"

"No, I… think I saw her, too," Rosie declared as the two looked at each other and smiled. For just a moment, they were both certain that a young Darcsen girl wearing a familiar white shawl had been watching them, a familiar, gentle smile across her face.

**Ending Theme: Ray of Light (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"It's good to unwind, once in a while, but war waits for no one. We've just received word that Audrey Gassenarl is leading an attack against a town in the south and Squad G needs to deploy immediately."

"Got it, where're we going?"

"A town called Renole."

"What?"

"Something wrong Vine?"

"Yeah, I have two little sisters who're living in Renole!"

**Next Time: HER TRUE COLORS Audrey's Decision**

"Karen, Lara, Big Brother's coming."


	23. Chapter 23

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 22

HER TRUE COLORS

Audrey's Decision

**Opening Theme: Hologram (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)**

"That was beautiful you two. Vine, I didn't know you had it in you!" Alicia shouted. The show was now over and Vine and the Rosie had joined the others.

"Yeah, neither did I," Vine declared.

"It was really nice," Welkin declared, 'that song was a beautiful as…"

"let me guess, a cricket?" Vine sighed.

"Not just any cricket, a Shermlarian Cricket. That kind of cricket has one of the most beautiful songs among all insects," Welkin replied.

"Yeah, yeah. It's still a cricket," Vine replied.

"Moink Moink!" Hans grunted as though laughing.

"Well well… if it isn't my old nemesis. You ready to dance, Pig?" Vine demanded rather tensely. Hans responded by tensing up as though preparing to jump.

"Moioink!"

"There you are!" Ed's voice shouted. Vine looked up to see where Ed was, just in time to have a large metal ball slam into his head.

"Yeowowowowow!" he shouted rubbing his head, "what the heck was that for?"

"That was for calling me short on stage!" Ed shouted angrily, "oh, I finally get what that whole Porcavian thing meant earlier, and don't think I'm gonna forget that crack either!"

"Yeah yeah, at least I know the only way you can get back at me is with a sneak attack," Vine declared, still rubbing his forehead.

"Well, I see you're all having a good time," Colonel Mustang declared, "and you must be the lovely Ms. Rosie, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Ooo, and you are?" Rosie asked smiling.

"A terrible womanizer, you wanna watch this one Rosie," Vine whispered loudly enough that everyone present could hear. He yelped as a sudden burst of flame singed his nose.

"No one likes a liar, Raging Blast," Mustang declared sleeping off his flame alchemy glove.

"Ow, who's lying, I was being honest," Vine declared.

"Moink moink moink," Hans laughed.

"Huh, yeah, just keep laughing, Bacon. See if you don't end up on my plate tomorrow morning," Vine threatened glaring down at the piglet.

"Vine! Hey! Over here!" Elysse shouted as she ran up to join the group.

"Huh, hey Elysse, what're you doing… here…" he asked as Cordelia walked up beside her royal guard, "sneaking out incognito, huh. I'm having a bad influence on you."

"Whatever do you mean, Colonel Vine? I'm just a friend of Elysse's who came to this concert at her suggestion," Cordelia replied.

"Of course you are," Vine replied, "so what happens if someone needs to see the Archduchess?"

"I took care of that. As far as anyone knows, the Archduchess is sick today and has locked herself in her room," Elysse replied.

"Clever, good thinking, Elysse."

"Colonel Mustang, sir!" a soldier shouted, interrupting the groups conversation.

"What is it soldier?" Mustang asked, obviously surprised by the sudden intrusion.

"Trouble, Colonel," the soldier replied, "the rebels are attacking a town to the south of here."

"Alright, guess that's it for the R and R. About time, I say, I love rest, but I always feel so useless if I'm not winning a fight every once in a while," Vine declared, "where's the town, soldier?"

"It's a small town, sir," the soldier replied, "Renole."

"WHAT!" Vine exclaimed.

"Vine, isn't Renole where…" Rosie began.

"Mustang, I'm going, I can't wait!" Vine shouted taking off, "send a squad when they're ready!"

"Raging Blast, what is it?" Mustang asked as Vine ran past him.

"My two little sisters live in Renole!" Vine shouted back without stopping.

"His sisters? Vine has sisters?" Ed replied.

"Karen and Lara," Rosie replied, "they're living in Renole with the woman who taught Vine Blast Alchemy. This is terrible."

"Oh man, let's go Al!" Ed shouted chasing after Vine.

"Right behind you, Brother!" Al declared following Ed.

"Colonel…" Jean Havoc spoke up approaching the colonel from behind.

"Go with them," Mustang ordered.

"Yes sir," Havoc replied going after the Elrics.

"Archduchess…" Elysse whispered.

"Elysse, please help Vine. I will be alright. Lt. Gunther will escort me back to Randgriz. They may need you," Cordelia pleaded, turning to face her friend and guardian.

"Yes ma'am," Elysse replied as she gave chase as well.

….

Audrey Gassenarl stood alongside her tank, Geirolul, looking at the town around her. Renole, once a thriving little farming town had been reduced almost entirely to ruins by the coordinated attacks of her forces.

_Don't their faces haunt you when you realize that you may very well have killed some of them!_

Audrey forced back a strong feeling of pain as Vine's words from Yuell echoed in her ears. He was wrong and he had to be destroyed, regardless of costs.

"We're almost done here, ma'am," a rebel soldier shouted running up to her, "the Town Watch is putting up a fight, but it's only a matter of time before they're wiped out and the Darcsens are purged."

"Good, keep up the good work, Soldier," Audrey ordered as the soldier ran back to the line. Audrey glanced around for a while until her gaze rested on a small alleyway. She didn't look around her, she didn't grab her sword which was lying on top of Geirolul's wheel guard, and she didn't even inform her crew she was leaving. As though drawn by an invisible string, she began to walk down the alleyway.

The alleyway only went back a short distance before opening up unto what appeared to be the backyard of the home on the right, the yard was fenced in, but there was an open gate through which she was able to enter the yard.

"What am I doing?" she asked aloud as she walked out of the yard, "this is pointless."

"Ms. Audrey?" a small but familiar voice called from behind a portion of the fence.

"That voice… it can't be," Audrey declared watching as a small girl with shoulder length dark hair emerged from behind the fence. She was clad in a dark red headband marked with Darcsen symbols and a red clock that hung freely over her back. Her dress was dark blue, and a grey, plastic chain hung out of the pocket of her dress that Audrey knew to be attached to a plastic grey pocket watch. Aside from being a girl, the child looked llke a miniature copy of Colonel Vine.

"Ms. Audrey! It is you!" the child shouted running up, wrapping her arms around Audrey's legs, and burying her face in the skirt of the rebel commanders uniform. Audrey looked down at her in stunned silence for several seconds.

"L… Lara, what are you doing here?" she gasped.

"I live here," Lara replied sadly, "but those bad people are attacking us! Ms. Audrey, are you here to make them go away? Is Big Brother with you? I want my brother!"

"Here to make them go…? No… no Lara, I'm…"

"Where's the General?" a soldier's voice called at the entry to the alleyway.

"I think she wandered down here sir, but I'm not sure," came a reply.

"No," Audrey gasped. Reaching down and lifting the girl into her arms, she ran into the fenced off yard, closing and locking the gate behind her, then ran into the backdoor of the house, praying that none of her soldiers were inside. Her soldiers weren't in the house. Instead, another girl huddled in the corner of the house. Her hair was cut similarly to Lara's and she wore a white shawl with the same Darcsen markings stretching across it, a white shirt, and a dark red skirt that was the same color as Lara's cloak and headband. She whined and tried to back away when she saw Audrey.

"Karen…" Audrey gasped putting Lara down who ran to her sister's side.

"Karen, it's okay, it's Ms. Audrey! Remember, she's the nice lady who helps Big Brother!" Lara said happily, grabbing her older sister's hand. Audrey ran to Karen's side. She was a beautiful young woman, the middle child, 12 years older than 6 year old Lara and 11 years younger than her 29 year old brother, Vine. Vine had told her once that he had thought for certain that she'd be his youngest sister until his mother had surprised them by giving birth to Lara. One month later, Darcsen hunters would claim the lives of both parents. Vine returned home from work seconds to late to save his mother and father, but had killed the three Darcsen hunters, sparing 12 year old Karen and the infant Lara. Audrey wondered why she had remembered all of this for so long when she now hated the man.

"Karen. Karen, talk to me, please," Audrey pleaded, "are you hurt? What's wrong?"

"She won't answer you," an woman's voice declared from behind Audrey, who turned and looked into the cold eyes of a blonde, middle aged woman, confined to a wheel chair, "you have some nerve coming into my house, Audrey Gassenarl, after what you've done."

"Lady… Lady Liera… what happened to her?" Audrey cried looking down at the still silent and trembling Karen.

"They happened," Liera replied pointing to two dead rebel soldiers.

"What…?" Audrey cried as her eyes widened with horror, "What happened?"

"Those brutes broke into the house while I was in bed. Karen acted quickly, and told her sister to go out back and play hide and seek, which Lara did. The men were strong, but Karen is Vine's sister. She was able to use her Alchemy to kill one of them, but the second grabbed her and bound her arms before she could get to him. Unable to draw a transmutation circle, Karen was left entirely to the man's mercy. I arrived before that filthy monster killed her, but I could not reach my wheelchair before… before that fiend took advantage of her. I could hear her screams from my room as he did it," Liera cried, "these men are your soldiers, Gassenarl, tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now!" Audrey didn't answer, in fact, she was nolonger listening. She was staring at Karen, her mouth hanging open as her eyes were wide with shock and dismay.

"No… Karen… Karen, why won't you talk to me… please… it's gonna be alright," Audrey cried putting her arms around the younger girl and pulling her close, "you're brother's coming. It's going to be alright. Your brother will be here soon, I…"

"How dare you make her promises, Gassenarl!" Liera shouted angrily as she clapped her hands together and placed them against her wheelchair. A current of electrical energy ran through the chairs tires and into the ground, causing a pole of wood to suddenly shoot from the ground, pushing Audrey away from Karen and pinning her against the wall. Liera rolled her wheelchair until she was right in front of Audrey, "Karen is not as young as Lara. Do you think she doesn't know who you are? You saw for yourself how she reacted when she saw you. She is not stupid. She knows you Gassenarls are the leaders of this 'revolution' that seeks to eradicate her kind from Gallia. Are you really so arrogant as to believe that Karen is not smart enough to realize that the man who raped her did so under your order!" Audrey squirmed futilely to free herself from the pole that pinned her, trying not to look at Liera, trying not to look at Karen, or the frightened Lara who now huddled behind Liera's wheelchair. "Your men hurt my little girl!"

"No… I didn't… I didn't want… I… I…" Audrey protested frantically, "I didn't know…"

"Didn't know what! That they were here? What does that matter? Lara and Karen are still Darcsens. If you have your way, they will be exterminated whether they live here, Randgriz, or Central City in Amestris!" Liera shouted angrily.

"No… No… Karen… I… I'm!" Audrey cried as she finally stared down at the beautiful eighteen year old trembling on the floor before her.

"General Audrey!" a soldier's voice shouted through Audrey's wireless, "we're being pushed back! It's the Raging Blast Alchemist! He's here! Ahhhh!" the transmission cut short instantly.

"Vine…" Audrey declared grabbing her communicator, "all forces retreat now. Do not engage the Raging Blast Alchemist! I repeat, retreat and do not engage Raging Blast!"

"But, milady, we should…" a reply came.

"Our forces suffered enough losses at his hand in Yuell, we've not sufficiently recovered to attempt to take him on again. I won't repeat myself again, fall back!" Audrey ordered.

"You're leaving then? Typical of a Gassenarl, running from that which frightens them, but then, I suppose that has always been what has separated the Lieutenant from the Colonel," Liera declared coldly as she clapped her hands and pulled the wood pillar that trapped Audrey back into the ground. Audrey could tell by how disfigured her arm was that the shoulder was broken, but she didn't care just yet. She crumpled to her seat and stared sadly at the still trembling Karen.

"Leave Gassenarl, before I change my mind about letting you live!" Liera's angry voice returned Audrey to reality, clutching her shoulder, the injured Tank Commander rose and ran out the back door as quickly as her legs could carry her. Her tank crew was surprised as the ran out of the alleyway, clutching her broken shoulder.

"General, what happened?" one of the men shouted.

"Get me out of here," Audrey demanded, "now!"

"Yes ma'am!" the crewman replied as he climbed into the Gierolul and prepared the tank to withdraw.

"Lady Audrey, I'll help you in," the second crew member offered. Audrey cast one final look back into the alley, then allowed herself to be helped into the tank.

….

"Looks like the rebels all took off. There aren't any left in town," Havoc declared joining Ed, Al, and Elysse.

"They didn't put up much of a fight. That's strange, even when we obviously had the advantage in Yuell, they kept fighting, but here… it was almost like they didn't want to win. Like they were waiting for an excuse to pull out, and we were it," Ed declared.

"Hey, where's Vine?" Al asked.

"Looking for his sisters," Havoc replied, "I hope those two are alright."

….

It didn't take long at all for Vine to locate the home that his master and sisters lived in. He was relieved to see it was in good shape. Now he could only hope they were in a similar state. Running in, he burst through the door and into the home. Master Liera sat in her wheel chair waiting for him, Karen sitting on her lap while Lara clung to the woman's paralyzed legs. Karen looked up when she heard the door open. Tears flowed down her cheeks at the sight of her brother and she shot off of Liera's leg.

"BIG BROTHER!" she cried charging into the arms of her brother.

"Karen… It's okay, I'm here now, everything is going to be okay," Vine cried, pulling his sister close.

"It was Ms. Audrey!" Lara shouted wrapping her arms around her brother's leg, "Ms. Audrey did it!"

"What!" Vine replied. He was careful not to tighten his grip on Karen, but Liera could see that he was trembling with rage, "Audrey did this! I'll kill her for this!"

"What? Why, Big Brother? If she hadn't made the bad people go away, the might have hurt us! You can't hurt Audrey! She saved us!" Lara cried.

"What?" Vine asked, surprise quickly replacing his rage.

"That is not accurate. Audrey received word that you had engaged her forces, and terrified of facing your wrath after what her soldiers had done to Karen, Audrey fled, like a dog with her tail between her legs. Rather fitting of a Gassenarl if you ask me," Liera replied.

"Did to Karen? What did they…?" Vine stuttered looking down at his sister. The shattered look on her face was all he needed to see. "No… oh Karen, I'm so sorry. I should have been here for you."

"You should be proud of her," Liera declared, "she knew what would likely happen to her, but took that chance in order to protect Lara. There is no doubt; she is your little sister."

"I know," Vine replied, "I already know."

….

A short while later, Vine rejoined Ed, Al, Havoc, and Elysse. Lara ran happily alongside him while he carried Karen in his arms.

"Mr. Havoc!" Lara shouted running happily to Havoc and jumping up into his arms.

"Hey kid, you're getting big," Havoc declared catching the girl.

"You smell funny," Lara said plugging her nose, "are you still wearing that stinky cologne?"

"It's not cologne, Lara. Jean always smells like cigarette smoke," Karen said looking over at her sister and smiling, "it's going to kill him someday."

"Sheesh, you too now? Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because it's true," Vine and Karen both declared simultaneously.

"Sorry we took so long, Colonel! We got here as fast as we could!" Avan shouted as Class G ran up to join the other heroes.

"Oh, Vine, is this you're little sister!" Cosette shouted looking at the little girl Havoc was holding, "oh you're so adorable, look at your little headband and cloak, you must really admire your big brother. Oh, you even have your own little pocket watch!"

"Yep, someday, I'm gonna be a State Alchemist, just like Big Brother!" Lara replied, "then I'm gonna help him beat all of the bad guys."

"I hope they're beaten a long time before it comes to that," Karen declared laughing.

"Ohhh, I wish you were my little sister," Cosette cried, "you're so cute. Can we take her with us back to Lanseal, please?"

"Yeah we're taking her with us. I can't just leave them here now," Vine replied.

"No you can't," Liera declared as she rolled up to the group. They were all surprised to see that the wheel-chair ridden woman was dressed in an Amestrian military uniform, "because I will be living at Lanseal from now on."

"No way… you're kidding! Lady Liera, are we really gonna get to see the Steel Alchemist in action?" Karen shouted excitedly.

"Steel Alchemist? Wait, you don't mean…" Ed began.

"Afraid so," Vine replied smiling, "Lady Liera's a State Alchemist."

"No way, this crippled old lady? Who the heck is she?"

"Watch your tongue, Fullmetal. This 'crippled old lady' happens to be the woman who taught me Blast Alchemy," Vine replied.

"Are you serious?" Ed asked.

"As a bullet to the head," Liera replied, clapping her hands together and firing an alchemy blast into the air.

"No way… she just fired an Alchemy blast," Ed stuttered.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Karen asked, "if Brother tried that, he'd burn his hand really bad without his heat resistant alchemy gloves, but Lady Liera can project all the heat away from her hand and not get hurt. Brother may be the Raging Blast Alchemist, but he's still nothing but a student when compared to the Steel Alchemist."

"Hey, don't see me short, I can do lots of things Master can't do, like fire blasts from weapons or adjust the size and power of a blast. I am not just some student, I'm the number one authority on Blast Alchemy," Vine declared in an annoyed tone.

"The number one authority that still burns his hand without a glove, you mean," Karen replied chuckling.

"Wow, she's definitely got her brother's smart mouth," Ed declared, "I can see the family resemblance."

"Hey, speaking of which, can I ask you a question?" Karen asked looking at Ed.

"Huh, sure, what?" Ed replied.

"Why're you so short?"

"WHAT THE HECK! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! WHY ALWAYS ME! WHO'RE YOU CALLING TINY LITTLE HOUSEFLLLLYYYYY!"

**Ending Theme: Ray of Light (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"You're just in time, Lara, the feast of all spirits is in just a few days. It'll be so much fun!"

"Yea! I can't wait!"

"I can, this is my least favorite holiday of the entire year."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I'm no good at figuring out what presents to give."

"And"

"I never get any presents?"

"And"

"Well, we did get the Marberry Shore mission that cost Isara her life on the feast day."

"And"

"Are you kidding, how many reasons do I need not to like something. I dunno, because there's a giant airship flying towards the school bell tower… wait… oh not good."

**Next Time: THE INVASION OF LANSEAL Secrets of Project Valhalla**

"I'll protect Lanseal, even if it costs me my life!"


	24. Chapter 24

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 23

THE INVASION OF LANSEAL

Secrets of Project Valhalla

**Opening Theme: Period (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"That's about it, sir. Rebel movement in the south has drastically slowed in recent months. The defeat of Baldren Gassenarl at Diebal followed by Audrey's defeats at both Yuell and Renole seem to have broken the rebels morale dramatically. Add to that the attempt to kidnap the Archduchess by Dirk Gassenarl which was foiled by Lanseal cadets aided by Amestrian Alchemists, it seems that Lanseal has begun to strike a critical blow to the rebel spirits," General Kluivert reported as Vine, Mustang, and Edward sat in Mustang's office awaiting their reports.

"Lanseal cadets aided by us? Where we at the same fight?" Ed asked.

"Can it Pipsqueak, now is not the time," Vine replied, "though I'll admit, I remember that fight a little differently myself."

"You're awfully quick to pat yourself on the back, General," Mustang replied, "do I need to remind you that if you had had your way, Lanseal wouldn't have become involved in Yuell and Audrey may very well have taken the city?"

"That is all in the past, Colonel Mustang. You now have my full support," Kluivert revealed.

"Amazing what happens when the alchemists start to turn the war around," Ed sighed, "now we have his support."

"Don't buy it; he's lying through his teeth. He's just hoping that saying he supports us, will improve his standings with the higher ups," Vine sighed in response.

"Colonel Vine, what's your report?" Mustang asked.

"Not much to add sir. The rebels have all but fallen silent since the battle in Renole, though I do disagree that it's because they've lost their spirit. I think they're just planning something big for us, and we need to be ready," Vine replied.

"I agree," Mustang replied, "Gilbert Gassenarl is a pompous and arrogant man, but he's also one of Gallia's most competent military minds. I doubt that these defeats are really much more than an annoyance to him right now. Is there anything else, Raging Blast?"

"Well… actually sir, I wanted to talk to about morale. Despite the victories, morale around campus seems… unusually low," Vine replied.

"I've noticed. Any ideas why that might be?"

"Yes sir, I've seen it before. As you know, the end of this month marks the Feast of All Spirits, one of the largest holidays in Europa. In most divisions, the festivities of this time of year is enough to cause morale to shoot up under any circumstance, however… a few battalions I've observed on the feast day suffered from low morale, due to the commanding officers strict policy that no festivities be observed on the feast day. The exact same kind of policy as Lanseal strictly enacted under Kluivert."

"What? Kluivert… you never allowed the cadets to celebrate the Feast?" Mustang declared, obviously surprised by the declaration.

"These cadets are military students who cannot afford such menial distractions from their studies," Kluivert replied in his defense.

"They're also children who need a chance now and again to enjoy themselves. Colonel Mustang, I suggest we implement some sort of Feast day activities for the cadets. Otherwise, I fear we'll be facing near rock bottom levels of morale by the time the day arrives."

"I object… Colonel Mustang we…"

"He objects? What is this, a courtroom?" Ed sighed as Kluivert began his explanation as to why he didn't believe Lanseal should celebrate the feast, "so what's the big deal? What's so bad about this feast thing?"

"The Feast of all Spirits is traditionally a 'day when all spirits show their love,'" Vine replied, "think of it as Christmas in the middle of summer. The main tradition of the feast is the giving gifts to friends and loved ones, but it wouldn't be much of a feast if there weren't tons of food."

"Oh, so that's why you're trying to get the school to celebrate it then," Ed replied.

"You kidding, to be completely honest, I hate the feast of all spirits, it's my least favorite holiday. I'm no good at gift giving, I always get forgot, and there was this little incident on Marberry Shore two years ago that completely killed what little love I had for the day, but I love food. Besides, I wasn't lying when I said I think it'd help morale. This place needs a shot in the butt to get it back up to snuff."

"Overruled," Mustang declared in annoyance after Kluivert finished his objection.

"Okay, enough! This isn't a court room!" Vine shouted angrily.

"It won't be much, but we'll set up a feast, however, each class is responsible for setting up entertainment. Let's see, I think a short play depicting a famous Gallian battle should do the trick. Fullmetal, Raging Blast, you two will be with Squad G for this event, so I'd advise getting to work."

"What! Hey wait! I get stage fright!" Vine protested.

"You asked for this, Raging Blast, so you'd better be ready to do your share to make it work," Mustang replied, "alright, that's enough for today. By the way, Raging Blast, I've been meaning to ask. How's your sister doing?"

"She'll be just fine," Vine replied, "she's pretty tough. She's been working with Alicia while she's been here."

"I've noticed Lara's become quite popular with most of the Squad G girls," Mustang replied, "it seems she's definitely your little sister."

"I really don't like that tone you said that with. Just cause girls like me because I'm a gentleman. You could stand to learn a few things from me, Mustang," Vine declared smiling teasingly.

"Don't you have work to do?" Mustang demanded rather irately.

"Yes sir!" Vine replied saluting timidly as he ran out the door of the office.

"What're you smiling about, Fullmetal?"

"Smiling? Who's smiling? I'm not smiling."

….

"Man, I can't believe Mustang is making me do this now," Vine sighed as he and Ed sat in the Squad G briefing room with the rest of their squad, "I'm a soldier, not an actor."

"Are you gonna be in a play, Big Brother?" Lara asked from her seat on Cosette's lap.

"He sure is, we all are. Do you wanna be in it to?" Cosette asked.

"Uhhh… that's okay, I don't like getting up in front of people," Lara replied timidly.

"Sounds like you," Ed declared looking up at Vine.

"Can it Shrimp."

"WHO YOU CALLING SHRIMP!"

"I think we should make Vine sing a solo," Marion declared laughing gently, "I think it would be most wonderful."

"Oh yeah, let's all poke fun at the Colonel, see if I don't have ya runnin laps by the end of the day," Vine replied as Marion fell silent.

"Alright everyone, simmer down," Brixham ordered, "I think we'd better get started. Avan, has the class decided which battle from Gallian history they'd like to reenact?"

"You bet Brixy! Seeing as how we've got Vine here, we figured we'd do something from EWII. We've decided on Operation Cloudburst!" Avan replied enthusiastically.

"Ack, you're kidding, right?" Vine sighed.

"Were you in that battle, Colonel?" Cosette asked.

"I was still part of Squad 7 in the militia during that fight. It was before I got my State Alchemist certification. Heh, that one was a lot of fun," Vine replied.

"Awesome, we've got someone who was there on the cast! That means we've got access to all the secret stuff no one else knows!" Avan shouted.

"Huh? What kinda secrets we talkin' about here?"

"You know, the little things, the personalities of all the great heroes of Squad 7!" came the reply.

"Oh… those kinds of secrets," Vine sighed, "Heh, well, maybe this'll be fun."

"I hope so," Avan replied, "alright. We need to choose the cast, and Lotte, you're writing the script, right?"

"I'm on it dude. It'll be ready to go tomorrow! Oh, right, we're voting on the cast right now dudes," Lotte declared running up to the front of the room and placing a box and a piece of paper on front of the table. "Alright dudes, we've already got an actor for Corporal Vine, but all you have to do is vote for which squad mate you wanna see play which character. Got it?"

"Hey wait, I object, you can't just say the person playing me is chosen, I want a say in it!" Vine shouted.

"Uhh Vine, I think you're it," Ed whispered.

"Uhhh… oh, I withdraw my objection."

"Okay, now that that's over, let's get to it, dudes!" Lotte shouted as Vine got up to leave.

"Where you going?" Ed asked.

"Get some fresh air," Vine replied.

"Sounds good to me," Ed replied following Vine's lead, "count me in."

….

A few minutes later, Vine and Ed were walking through the academy grounds.

"What do you think?" Ed asked.

"I think I hate plays," Vine replied, "and… I think something big is about to happen. Something that is going to change a lot."

"The rebels have been too quiet lately. It's not normal to go this long without them causing trouble. You think they've maybe given up?" Ed asked.

"Not until every member of House Gassenarl is either captured or killed," Vine replied firmly, "Gilbert Gassenarl is a foolish, arrogant man, but he's also an excellent strategist who excels in bolstering the morale of his troops. During EWII, he and his kids were among the only Gallian officers among nobility I respected, even with his anti-Darcsen feelings; I couldn't ignore his talent as a military commander. No, this isn't the end, just the calm before the storm."

"Yeah, I guess you'd know a lot more about the guy and his family then I would, considering that his daughter was one of your subordinates."

"Yeah… I know how Audrey works, how she thinks. She's not going to quit, and neither is her brother… and neither is her father."

"V… Vine…" a weak voice suddenly called from the bushes. Vine was surprised as Aliasse suddenly collapsed through the shrubbery clad in a thick black cloak!

"Aliasse! Hey, are you okay!" Ed shouted.

"Are you kidding? What the heck are you doing, wearing something like that in this heat?" Vine asked kneeling down next to the exhausted Valkyrur, "she's got heat exhaustion."

"Ma…ma… I need to… get home to… Mama," Ali pleaded weakly.

"Mama? Forster…" Vine spat the name out bitterly, "alright kid. Where's home?" Aliasse weakly pointed to a large, rundown building on the edge of the campus.

"The old campus grounds. Students aren't allowed to go on those grounds," Ed said looking up at the old building.

"Which makes it the perfect place for Forster's sick experiments," Vine sighed picking up Aliasse, "don't worry, Ali… you'll be alright, so long as I don't vomit at the thought of seeing Forster."

"Please… don't…" Ali pleaded as she fell asleep. Vine and Ed nodded to each other and took off towards the old campus building.

….

It didn't take long for the two alchemists to get inside the building. Following Ali's directions, they soon arrived at what appeared to be a large test facility with a table in the center. Vine was relieved that Forster was nowhere to be found.

"Please tell me this isn't your room," Vine pleaded as Ali looked longingly at the table as though it were her bed.

"Man, we really need to introduce you to a new decorator," Ed declared looking around as Vine put Ali on the 'bed'.

"Only Forster would force a little girl to sleep on an experimentation table. Even so, poor kid's already out," Vine sighed looking down at the young Valkyrur, "how old do you think she is? She can't be any older then Alphonse."

"I know. She's a lot younger than most of the cadets at the academy. A good 4 or 5 years at least," Ed replied glancing over a table. A clipboard caught his eye. "Hey, take a look at this," he ordered throwing the clipboard to Vine. Clipped to the front was a paper with Project Valhalla written across the front in big bold letters. "Do you know what it is?"

"Project Valhalla? It sounds familiar, but I can't put a finger on where I've heard it. Huh."

"What is it?"

"This says something about a secret mission and it has two lists of names, one's who have been given the mission, and cadets who are candidates for the mission… that can't be good. Hey… there's a Leon Hardins on the list of those who've taken the mission."

"Hardins? Do you think he's related to Avan?"

"I don't know… but according to this he was killed in action while on the mission… in fact, all of the names that have already been given the mission are listed as K.I.A. Uhh, what the heck. Avan's name is on the list of candidates… along with Julianna. What the heck is this?"

"I don't know… but I get the feeling it's not good," Ed replied as Vine slipped the clipboard under his cloak.

"Head back to the classroom and ask Avan what he knows about Leon Hardins. I'm gonna take this list to Mustang and Hughes and see what they can make of it," Vine ordered.

"Yeah, good idea," Ed replied, "you think Ali will be okay here?"

"Whatever Forster is up to, it definitely involves Aliasse. I doubt Ali's anything more than a test subject to her, but even so, she can't afford to let Ali get hurt. She'll be fine. Now let's go before Forster gets back.

"You're too late, Colonel Vine," a woman's voice declared as Forster walked into the room, "come to steal my research, Darcsen?"

"Forster… alright, let's keep this simple, what the heck is Project Valhalla?"

"That information is classified…" Forster began to reply.

"Like heck it is. As an Amestrian Colonel, only the Archduchess herself has more authority than me in regards to military matters. Now answer my question!"

"In military matters, perhaps, but this is not a military matter. I'm here as a civilian scientist by invitation of Lt. General Kluivert. You're authority does not extend to me, so I'll be taking back my notes if you don't mind."

"Fine with me, but I'll be keeping this list of cadets you've got here. They are my concern and let me make one thing clear, Forster. If even one of them gets hurt because of you, I'll burn out your tongue," Vine replied fiercely as he tore the top page off the clipboard and threw it back to Forster.

"As you wish, now if you don't mind, you're trespassing. I'm going to ask you to leave," Forster replied.

"With pleasure, let's go Ed," Vine declared as both he and Ed left the room.

"Head straight back to the classroom," Vine ordered when they were out of the building, "I'll run this list through the campus directory and see if I can find any connections between the students."

"Alright, hey you want me to tell you later who ends up in what roles?"

"Completely forgot about that, yeah, I'd appreciate that," Vine replied, "now let's move."

"Got it," Ed replied as both Fullmetal and Raging Blast separated to investigate Project Valhalla.

….

Ed returned to the classroom just as Avan was finishing tallying the votes for the play roles.

"Hey, Ed, good timing!" Avan called, "where's the Colonel."

"Something came up," Ed replied sitting down, "Avan, once we're done here, I need to talk to you… in private."

"Huh… ah man, don't tell me I'm in trouble," Avan sighed.

"I'll tell you later," was Ed's reply.

"Okay, well then… uhhh… right, the roles for the play. Of course, Corporal Vine is going to be played by Colonel Vine, so we'll move on the Squad 7's leader, Lieutenant Welkin Gunther. Let's see wow, with an overwhelmingly unanimous 19 votes, the winner is… huh… ME!"

"Oh boy, I wonder if Welkin is going to be insulted when he hears that." Ed sighed among Class G's roars of approval.

"Ooookay, so moving on to the heroine of our story, Sergeant Alicia Melchiot… with 10 votes, looks like Cosette's got it," Avan declared happily.

"Oh, but I was born for that role," Annisette whined.

"Don't know why, but I'm envisioning you as more of an Edy Nelson," Ed replied glancing over at the young star in training.

"Really! You think I could play my big sister!" Annisette called happily.

"Hahaha, he's not the only one, Annisette," Avan declared, "You got the vote of everyone in class for that role."

"Yes!" came the enthusiastic reply.

"Okay, now… Squad 7's resident idol, Rosie will be played by… Lotte with 7 votes. That one was really close."

"Huh… the scriptwriter is playing the idol? Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?" Ed sighed.

"Don't worry about a thing, short dude, I'll do my best!" Lotte replied excitedly.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A PUNY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK!"

"Heh heh, I think you're going to enjoy this one, Ed," Avan said laughing, "the role of anti-tank lance shell… Edward Elric with all the votes.

"I'm a bullet?" Ed gasped, obviously both confused and depressed.

"Sure are, you're the only one with the right size for the job," Avan declared laughing.

"WHAT! I HATE YOU ALL! I'M GOING TO TURN YOU ALL INTO FISH SO I'LL BE TALLER THEN YOU ALL AND THEN I'M GOING TO EAT YOU! THEN WE'LL SEE WHO'S THE PUNY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK WHO'S SMALL ENOUGH TO BE A TANK SHELL!"

"Heh, oh, the role of Imperial Tank belongs to Alphonse Elric… who isn't here right now."

"WHAT! YOU MADE MY BROTHER AN ENEMY TANK! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE! THAT'S JUST CRUEL!"

….

It took the better half of an hour before the cast announcements began to wind down.

"Alright, last two parts. The all-important Edelweiss treads… the left tread is Raymond while the right is… Zeri!" Avan announced happily.

"What! How did I get stuck being a tank tread!" Zeri demanded.

"There was no one else who wanted the job, so you got nominated by a third party," Avan replied.

"Whose party! I sense malicious intent!" Zeri shouted angrily.

"My party," Avan replied chuckling.

"I knew it! You can't just…"

"Now, Zeri, the whole battle would have been impossible without the Edelweiss which wouldn't have been able to do anything without its right tread. I just gave you the most important part in the entire performance!"

"Yeah, right! I'll bet that's exactly why you gave it to me," Zeri replied angrily.

"Heh, nothin' gets past you, huh, Zeri," Ed declared leaning back in his chair.

"Alright, well guys… see you at the rehearsal," Avan said cheerfully as everyone left, "so Ed, you wanted to talk to me?" he asked walking over to the desk Fullmetal was still sitting at.

"Yeah, I did," Ed replied sitting up, "I need to ask… do you know anything about a Leon Hardins?"

"You know him, then?" Ed asked.

"Yeah… he was my older brother," Avan revealed, "he died a while back on some special mission for the school. I enrolled here… hoping to find out more about what happened to him."

"Hmm, I see," Ed replied, "I'm sorry to ask so many personal questions, but does the term 'Project Valhalla' mean anything to you?"

"Huh? No, why?"

"Because whatever it is, it's likely that it's linked to the assignment that cost your brother his life… and you're on the list to be one of its next candidates."

….

Vine was in the school's main office poring through student records when Ed and Avan found him. "Vine, you found anything?" Ed asked as they walked in.

"So far, the only thing I've got is that all of the students on the list except Avan are from either class A or class B, but I did find something interesting when I glanced through the school registration tests. Every student who's entered the school since the end of the imperial invasion has been subjected to an aptitude screening for an unspecified reason, and it's this aptitude screening, not their entry exam results, that make up the class. Those who've scored highly are placed in Class A while those who scored poorly were put in class F. Class G is a class where all the aptitude scores report as 'undetermined.' Guess Julianna wasn't all that wrong when she called our group a class of misfits. Even so, this set up makes no sense as some members of Class F out did members of Class A in entry exam performance. A good example is our own Alexis. She's superior in score to even Julianna Everheart as a Fencer class, yet she's in Class G based solely on her undetermined score on this aptitude screening. Avan, do you remember this screening.

"Yeah, I do," Avan replied, "I remember I couldn't figure out what they were screening me for. They had me step through some weird device that scanned me with ragnite and I was placed in Class G afterwards."

"Ragnite… huh? I can't think of any combat abilities that could be scanned with that simple a test," Vine declared scratching his head, "this doesn't make any sense."

"So what now?" Ed asked.

"Keep it a secret for now. I'll do some more digging and see what I can find. We won't go to Mustang until we have something solid, alright?"

"Alright, if you think that's a good idea," Avan replied.

"Vine, do you want me to talk to Julianna too and warn her about what's going on?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, tell her to be wary and not to accept any special missions without clearing it with myself or Colonel Mustang first. Whatever this is, we're gonna nip it in the bud before any other students wind up a statistic for it. Alright you two, I'll see ya at play practice tomorrow."

"Alright," Ed declared, "see you tomorrow then."

….

Far away at the estate of House Gassenarl, Gilbert Gassenarl stood finalizing plans.

"Is everything ready, my son?" he demanded of Baldren.

"Yes father. We're prepared. On the day of the Feast of All Spirits, Lanseal will fall and the alchemists with it," Baldren replied.

"Excellent, it's unfortunate that your sister won't be able to help you, but her narrow escapes from Raging Blast in both Yuell and Renole have left her a bit… shaken. However, given the ease with which he held back Raging Blast in Leanbluff, I am certain Dirk will be all the power we'll need."

"Understood," Dirk replied in his cold, monotone voice.

….

Audrey sat alone in her room… a half written note sitting on her table. She hadn't opened her door since Renole as Karen's shattered expression continued to haunt her. The note was to be an apology… but she knew it was pointless to finish.

"So Vine… after this… will you even hesitate when next we meet?" she wondered quietly as a tear fell from her eyes and upon the half blank paper.

**Ending Theme: Ray of Light (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"Alright! The feast day is here!"

"Ah man, I don't wanna do this play thing."

"At least you've got a decent part! I have to be a tank!"

"How is being myself even a part!"

"Hey, something's up in the sky."

"Some kinda airship… it's headed for the clocktower!"

"Lanseal's under attack! Squad G, defend!"

"Alicia! Alicia!"

"Ahh crap, now what!"

**Next Time: THE INVASION OF LANSEAL II Bomb vs Blast**

"This isn't a good time, Isara!"


	25. Chapter 25

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 24

THE INVASION OF LANSEAL Part 2

Bomb vs Blast

**Opening Theme: Asu e no Kizuna (Valkyria Chronicles)**

"Come on, come on, dudes!" Lotte shouted angrily, "this is our only rehearsal before we do this thing for real."

"Man, how much rehearsal do I really need to get shot at a tank and blow up?" Ed sighed.

"As many as it takes me to learn to be the tank that blows up," Al whined.

"Hey, if I have to practice being myself then you're not getting out of this," Vine declared. Squad G had gathered in the Lanseal indoor drill facility to stage their play in front of a small audience of Welkin and Alicia Gunther, Karen, and Lara.

"Oh man, I'm so nervous," Cosette declared, "if I mess up, the real Alicia is out there watching."

"Don't worry about it, dude! Just do what the script says and you'll be fine!" Lotte declared.

"Speaking of the script, I've never seen it even once," Vine declared.

"Right, that's just because I only finished it last night!" Lotte replied pointing at a table where the scripts were located.

"You're kidding. Our only rehearsal and this is the first time any of us are seeing the script?" Ed whined picking up the script and looking at the cover, "Operation Cloudburst… not the most creative title… a play written by Lotte Netzel."

"Your last name is Netzel?" Al declared.

"Sounds like Pretzel… ah man that reminds me, I haven't eaten since breakfast," Avan sighed.

"Considering it's not even noon yet, I don't think that's a very big deal," Ed declared, "and are you saying you didn't even know one of your squad mate's last name."

"Huh? No, I knew what it was, I just thought it made me hungry," Avan declared.

"You say that, like you need a reason to be hungry," Zeri declared shaking his head.

"Tank treads should be seen and not heard, Zeri," Avan replied.

"Actually, tank treads make a lot of noise Avan," Vine declared shaking his head, "I'd be worried if I didn't hear one."

"Alright, dudes, let's get our butts in gear! You can read the script during our first playthrough."

"Yeah, whatever," Vine declared grabbing a canteen of water, "so, what's first?" he asked before taking a drink.

"I still wanna know how I got voted to be Largo Potter!" Rene whined, causing Vine to spray Ed with water.

"WHAT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Vine roared with laughter.

"Thanks, I really needed that," Ed said angrily wiping his face, "what's so funny?"

"Rene… is old man Largo! Oh, that's just rich! Ahahahaha, oh, I'm sorry. You caught me off guard. I just don't see it. See Largo's this big, muscular, grouchy looking old man… Rene on the other hand is a small, scrawny, fairly happy looking young girl. I thought this class needed to have their heads examined, but now, I know it. I'm not sure I wanna know who's playing Isara."

"Uh, I am sir," a Darcsen girl, Magari, replied.

"Oh, hey Magari. Okay, I like that choice," Vine declared.

"Alright, you can figure out who's playing who as we go, come on dudes, let's get a move on, we're burning daylight here!" Lotte shouted.

….

After another half hour of clowning around, Lotte's screams finally annoyed Vine into ordering the rehearsal to begin. Vine sat on the side of the stage, watching as Coleen began to narrate the play.

"And so our story begins as Gallia's brave hero, the courageous nature lover Welkin Gunther has been given the nigh impossible order of recapturing the Vasel Bridge for Gallian forces. Faced with unrest in his squad, Welkin Gunther has made an impossible claim that he can retake the bridge in only 72 hours," Colleen said as the action on stage began.

"Seventy-two? Weird, I'm pretty sure it was only 48," Vine sighed, "I'm getting a bad feeling."

"Uhhh so… yeah, in seventy-two hours, Vass… Vessel? Vessel Bridge?" Avan stuttered

"Vasel, sir," Cosette sighed hanging her head in dismay.

"Yeah, that one," Avan replied, "anyway, uhhh, we're going to cross the river here. There's… Mittle?"

"Mistlereed," Cosette growled.

"Man, I've seen train wrecks that were less messy than this," Vine sighed.

"Whatever, some plant growing over there. That means it's shallow, so we can drive Edel… uhh."

"Edelweiss!" now Cosette was screaming with frustration.

"Man, what's with all these complicated names?" Avan sighed, "anyway, we can drive the tank through the river here."

"So, how's a tank supposed to go underwater, boss?" Rene sighed, still obviously depressed at her role.

"Um, I've coated the Edelweiss' exterior with water resistant material. It should last long enough for us to move through the river," Magari replied.

"This is suicide, dude!" Lotte declared, "you're gonna get us all killed."

"That's your cue, Vine!" Vario shouted rather loudly.

"Subtle as a freight train, Vario," Vine sighed as he walked on stage.

"Everyone at attention," Rene ordered, "the Colonel is here!"

"Colonel?" Vine repeated… "uhhhhh, where?" he asked looking behind him, "there weren't any colonels at this meeting… hey wait, you mean me?"

"Dude, that's not part of the script!" Lotte shouted angrily.

"Yeah, and me being a colonel isn't part of history at this point. I was only a Corporal."

"Oh, details! It's more exciting if there's a colonel in it," Lotte replied.

"Uhhh… if you say so… anyway… uh," Vine groaned opening his script, "I approve completely of Lt. Gunther's brilliant plan and I personally guarantee that it will… like heck, there's no way I'd say this."

"Well, if Colonel Vine personally guarantees its success then I guess it'll work dudes!" Lotte shouted.

"Okay… definitely not how that conversation would have gone… you're Rosie right? As in Bridgette Stark, Rosie?" Vine replied.

"What's the problem dude?" Lotte protested.

"Alright, first of all… I personally guarantee it will work? In what weird, alternate world of ponies and unicorns do I sound like that. You're a loony. This plan is completely insane, which is probably why I like it. That sounds more like me. Second, even if I was some kind of big shot, fancy pants, general who said things like 'I personally guarantee its success', the Rosie I know would have replied with something more along the lines of 'well if the stinky dark hair thinks it'll work, we're really gonna die' to which I would have replied, 'the only person I smell, Rosie is you. Keep talkin' and you'll be takin a bath in the river.' She would have retorted with something along the lines of 'go ahead and try, buddy boy' and then… I would have thrown her in the river," Vine revealed.

"Huh… that's actually about how I envisioned that conversation going," Alicia declared, "ahhh."

"Hmm… Hey Welks, what's up with Licia?" Vine called down.

"Heh, sorry. The baby just kicked… our little girls due any day now," Alicia revealed.

"Huh…. Heh, I did notice you were getting a little rounder, Licia. I thought maybe you'd been sampling too much of your own bread."

"Ooooo, you may have been promoted, but you haven't changed one bit since the day you're acting out right now," Alicia declared.

"Okay, so maybe I messed up a little," Lotte declared, "we'll worry about that later, now let's move on."

"Right, it's time to ford the river!" Avan declared walking over to Raymond and Zeri along with Magari. Avan stepped up and stood on Zeri's back while Magari hopped up and sat on Raymond.

"Ow, how come you get the light one and I've gotta be under him?" Zeri moaned.

"I'm sorry," Raymond replied timidly.

"Alright Edel-tank! Into the river!" Avan ordered as Zeri and Raymond crawled slowly towards the edge of the stage.

"And so… the great Welkin Gunther began his trek across the Vasel River. Suddenly, when he was about halfway through, he noticed a rare breed of… fish?" Coleen narrated, her voice showing confusion as she read the last word.

"Ahh, that can't be good," Vine sighed.

"Look, the rare Speckled Salmon! I have to catch one of them for my studies! Quick, Isara! After them!" Avan shouted.

"Uhhh, yes sir," Magari replied as the 'tank' crawled off stage.

"Okay, I'm pretty sure we made Isara drive the tank so Welkin couldn't do just that," Vine declared.

"Oh no," Cosette said suddenly.

"What's up?" Vine asked looking over at Cosette who was looking at the script.

"I'm sorry, Colonel, but I suddenly have this overwhelming urge… to bake! Uhhh… I must bake 3 dozen loaves of bread before the battle ends!" Cosette shouted running off stage in the opposite direction of Avan.

"Bake…?" Vine repeated obviously confused and looking at the script.

"So… determined to bake her bread… Alicia Melchiott abandoned her squad and walked all the way home… to Bruhl," Coleen sighed.

"I don't like this play," Alicia sighed.

"Ah come on, what am I supposed to do now?" Vine wondered looking at his next line, "I just thought of the most wonderful Alkahestrical… Alkahestrical? Whatever… the most wonderful Alkahestrical equation. I must abandon this battle to… write it down. What the heck? I've never written down an Alkahestrical equation… heck, I don't think I've ever written down an Alchemical equation. Isn't Alkahestry from Xing? I'm an Alchemist, not an Alkahestris!"

"Well Largo, I guess it's up to us now!" Lotte declared as Rene looked at the script.

"I'm sorry, Rosie, but I appear to be having… uhhh… uh oh… uhhhhh," Rene stuttered suddenly beginning to sweat profusely.

"What's wrong, Largo?" Lotte asked.

"I'm having… a little problem with my anti-tank lance," Rene almost sobbed as Edward, who'd been sitting quietly on the side suddenly tensed.

"And he's off," Vine sighed.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A PUNY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK! I HATE THIS PLAY! YOU JUST COULDN'T PASS UP THE CHANCE, COULD YOU!"

"Uh… well… I guess that with the commanding officers of Squad 7 out of commission… the job of recapturing Vasel Bridge… fell entirely too…" Coleen sighed.

"Alright, I've watched this long enough!" Annisette roared angrily, "this is complete lunacy! We all know Lotte wrote this script to give the spotlight to her role."

"Ah, come on dude! I just spiced it up a little bit. That's entertainment. You're just upset because Edy didn't play a big role in the battle so you don't get any lines."

"And it goes from bad to worse," Vine sighed.

"AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT, DEARIE! HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY SISTER EDY LIKE THAT!" Annisette roared.

"ENNNOOOUUUGGGHHHH!" Vine roared shooting a loud blast at the roof and causing the entire room to fall silent.

"Good thinking, Vine," Welkin declared, "but did you forget you're on an indoor stage?"

"Whoops," Vine sighed as a stage light crashed to the stage inches away from him.

"Alright, I wanna go home now," Avan sighed as he, Zeri, Raymond, and Magari walked back on stage.

"Agreed… violently agreed," Zeri declared.

"Alright, I'm rewriting the script," Vine declared.

"That's… probably a good idea," Lotte sighed, obviously depressed at her failure.

….

And so, the days past and the day of the Feast of All Spirits… finally arrived. The feast day found Vine, Ed, and Al hanging around the Squad G flower garden, finalizing plans for Squad G's performance as Ali, Sarah, and Lara watered the flowers.

"Now we've got 3 little girls taking care of Class G's project," Al declared as he watched the Valkyrur and the two Darcsen girls giggle happily as they watered the plants.

"Man, why do I still have to be an anti-tank shell?" Ed sighed, "can't we just… I dunno… use a real shell?"

"You want them to shoot your brother with a real Anti-tank lance? You're not a very caring big brother, are you," Vine teased at the comment.

"Guess I didn't think about that," Ed sighed, "we could use a real tank."

"Yeah, I'm sure Mustang'll be thrilled if we blow up a real army tank," Vine replied, "just be grateful I took out that short crack," Vine replied.

"Fine," Ed sighed in defeat.

"There you guys are! Come on, you're gonna miss the festival!" Avan shouted as he and Cosette ran over to join the 3 alchemists.

"Guess that's our cue. Hey, you three ready?" Vine called to the three girls.

"Yeah!" Sarah called.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Lara shouted enthusiastically, "come on Ali!"

"Okay," Aliasse replied, "I'll come too!"

"Yeah, you'll have lots of fun Ali," Cosette declared, "come on you three, let's get going!" she shouted as the 4 girls ran towards the main gate where the festival was being held.

"Man, I hate the feast," Vine sighed.

"What? Why?" Al asked.

"I dunno… maybe it's because I'm not a very good gift giver… or it could be that I never have anyone who gives me anything… you know, I really don't know. Marberry Shore certainly didn't help things any," Vine replied.

"Marberry Shore… that's where you lost Isara, isn't it? That happened on the feast day?" Ed asked.

"Sure did," Vine replied, "well, anyway, let's get going. Everyone else'll be waiting for us."

….

Vine didn't realize just how literal a statement 'everyone' was until he arrived at the festival grounds.

"Vine, darling! Where've you been. We were worried you weren't going to show up!" Edy Nelson called happily as Vine, Ed, Al, and Avan arrived.

"Hey Edy… what're you doing here?" Vine asked.

"I heard my dear Annisette is in a play, and that she's playing me! How could I miss something like that, darling?"

"Heh, I guess you couldn't," Vine replied.

"Oh, and hello again, Edward, Alphonse… uhhh… is it Evan or Avan?" Edy asked.

"Avan. I'm your sister's class chair," Avan replied sounding depressed.

"Of course, darling."

"Hey, Raging Blast! Long time no see!" a loud voice called behind them. The heroes turned to see a tall, muscular man and a dainty, dark haired woman approaching them.

"Hey, Largo!" Vine shouted walking over to the man and bumping his forearm against Largo's, "Ed, Al, you met this big guy at Bruhl. Avan, this is Largo Potter. Better known as Old Man Largo. He may be old, but don't let that fool ya, he's still just about the best anti-tank man I've ever seen."

"Still callin' me 'Old Man'? Man, I was hopin' you'd a quit by now," Largo revealed scratching his head.

"Captain Varrot, ma'am," Vine said turning his attention to the woman and saluting, "wait… that's not right… Captain Potter, ma'am!"

"It's been a long time, Vine, but I'm not a Captain anymore. I've retired from military service. Please, just call me Eleanor now," Eleanor Potter replied.

"Okay… sooo… not that I'm not thrilled to see you guys, but what're you doing here?"

"Boss man called us. He said you were writin' a great play about us and that we had to come and see it," Largo replied.

"Great play… right… he was talking about our play, right?" Ed asked.

"Great comedy maybe," Vine declared.

"Well it better be great," a familiar, woman's voice declared from behind Largo, "I postponed a show in Randgriz today so that I could be here."

"Hey, it's Rosie," Al said happily.

"Hey guys," Rosie said smiling, "don't mind me. I'm just here to see Vine freeze up at a show that isn't mine so I have a chance to enjoy it."

"Well, you haven't changed, much, have you," one final man declared approaching the group. He was a rough looking Darcsen man with a bandana tied over his head.

"Zaka," Vine said, "you too, huh?"

"Zaka?" Al shouted excitedly.

"You heard of this guy, Al?" Ed asked.

"Of course. He's the genius who designed the Enigma box. It's a little 3d jigsaw puzzle with over a hundred possible shapes," Al replied.

"I found one-hundred and ten myself, but Zaka here swears there're 115," Vine replied.

"I'm guessing it's safe to assume you still haven't found the other 5," Zaka declared.

"Oh, I found 5 more ways to put it together… just none without using Alchemy."

"Vine, hey, it's almost show time, we'd better head to the stage," Avan declared.

"Ah crap, hey, where're Welks and Licia?" Vine wondered.

"Over here Vine," Welkin shouted. He and Alicia were standing near some festival booths with a cute young girl with curly ponytails hanging down in front of her shoulders.

"Hey, she was in Bruhl too, wasn't she?" Al asked looking at the new girl.

"Oh yeah… uhhh… Susie, right?" Ed asked pointing at the girl.

"Yep, I'm Susie Evans. It's nice to see you again," Susie replied politely.

"Susie lives in Bruhl, in fact, she's the friend Alicia was visiting when the attack occurred. Fortunately, Susie was on her way back from visiting Edy when the attack occurred," Welkin revealed.

"I wanted to come and see the play you guys are doing. I hope that's alright," Susie declared.

"Sure… the more the merrier," Vine sighed. _There're even more people I know here then there were at that concert. I'm toast._

…_._

"Okay, we got 10 minutes, so… who wants to hit the donut stand?" Avan asked.

"Are you kidding?" Ed moaned, "we've already hit the sandwich stand, the drink stand, and the cotton candy stand. How much food do you need?"

"How much more food can you carry?" Vine wondered looking at the massive pile of foot in Avan's arms.

"Couple of donuts and I'll be good to go," Avan declared, "gotta get ready for the play. Gotta have enough fuel to play Welkin."

"Well for my sake, I think you need to ban him from eating anything else before the performance," Zeri declared as he joined the group, "if he gains anymore weight, the Edelweiss is going on strike."

"Vine… I wanna complain," Rene shouted as she and Magari joined the team, "I really think you should have me and Reiner trade parts. He's a lot better suited for Largo Potter then I am."

"Huh, hey Vine, did this little girl just say she's playing me?" Largo asked.

"Okay, before you start throwing punches, this was not my idea," Vine declared defensively.

"Wait… you're… oh no," Rene gasped tensing up.

"Uhh, so is this the real Largo Potter then?" Magari asked.

"In the flesh kiddo," Largo replied.

"Uhhh… I'm a really big fan… Mr. Potter," Rene said tensely, "I… uhhh… really hope I can be as good an anti-tank soldier as you are one day."

"Well, I'm flattered kid. Still doesn't mean I'm thrilled to be havin' a little carrot top play me," Largo replied.

"Yeah… I'd hope not," Rene replied laughing gently.

"Heh, this just keeps getting more and more entertaining," Vine declared looking around the festival grounds. A familiar girl with long pink hair caught his attention near the Popsicle stand.

"Hey… isn't that Julianna?" Ed asked as he spotted the same girl.

"I think so," Vine replied.

"Hey! Julianna!" Avan shouted causing her to turn around. She was holding two orange popsicles in her hand.

"Hardins, Fullmetal, Colonel," she said surprisingly respectfully. Then she spotted Zeri. "Uhhh. Ummm… Ze… Zer…"

"Aren't those two supposedly 'getting close'?" Vine whispered to Ed.

"That's the rumor anyway. Every time I've seen them though, they've just been talking about some book. I still don't think I've ever actually heard Julianna use Zeri's name," Ed whispered back, "when she does address him, she still calls him 'Darcsen'."

"I think that's about to change," Al whispered as Julianna almost seemed to be struggling as only a couple more Ze and Zers escaped her mouth.

"Is something wrong, Julianna?" Zeri asked.

"Ze… Xenophobia in the 20th Century Gallian foreign policy model! Thoughts?" Julianna finally basically screamed.

"Are you kidding?" Ed and Vine sighed simultaneously.

"Xeno what now?" Avan asked.

"It's an irrational fear of foreigners or strangers," Al declared.

"How do you even know that, and what's it got to do with anything?" Avan asked.

"Well, it is a good word to describe the feelings of a lot of people towards Darcsens… including Jules when we first met her," Vine replied.

"Hmm?" Zeri replied though he seemed more intrigued then confused, "that's a good thought, it certainly played a role. Traditionally, Gallia has been seen as a melting pot of different racial backgrounds. After the war with the Empire, I had expected a thawing in racial relations, but as things are now…" he continued. As soon as he'd said that, Julianna's expression from one of shy embarrassment to one of shame.

"Oh boy," Vine sighed.

"Uhhh… hey Jules, your popsicles are melting," Avan said getting him a punch in the face from not one but two metal hands as both Ed and Al attempted to shut him up. They were, however, too late.

"Ohhh… uhhh!" Julianna cried in alarm, "Hardins, you have them, I'm leaving!" she shouted forcing the popsicles into Avan's hands and storming away.

"Wow, he took them without dropping anything else he was carrying," Ed realized.

"Gotta hand it to this kid," Zaka sighed, "he's pretty coordinated when it comes to food."

"Julianna! Wait!" Cosette pleaded.

"Did I say something wrong? I was hoping to hear her opinion," Zeri declared.

"Zeri, my Darcsen brother," Vine sighed, "I'm ashamed. I think you're the only one who doesn't realize what just happened."

"Mm, this popsicle is the best!" Avan shouted happily, his face already covered in the orange residue of one popsicle as he prepared to devour the second."

"Well… him and Popsicle boy here," Zaka replied.

"Oh, you are both hopeless!" Cosette screamed, "I'm going after her. You all wait here!"

"You'd better hurry, Cosette. We're on stage in 5," Zeri declared.

"Just enough time to perform a flanking operation on the donut stand," Avan declared happily.

"Still hungry kid? You really are a bottomless pit," Zaka sighed.

"I deal with this every day," Zeri sighed in reply.

"Hey, did you guys say Julianna? As in Julianna Everheart, daughter of the Everheart family. Wow, what's gotten into her?" Rosie asked.

"No kiddin. From what I'd heard, the Everhearts are as anti-Darcsen as the Gassenarls. I'd expect that little princess to be worse than Rosie here used to be," Largo replied.

"You couldn't pass that up, could ya, Largo," Rosie replied, sounding frustrated.

"Whatever," Vine sighed, "let's… go." He said suddenly looking up at the sky. "Hey, you guys hear something?"

"I don't hear something," Ed replied looking up at the sky as well, "I see something!" Sure enough, a large blimp had suddenly come into view over the horizon!

"What the heck… is that thing?" Rosie asked.

"I'm gettin' a bad feeling, guys," Vine revealed. Within minutes, the airship had invaded Lanseal airspace… and was on a collision course for the school bell tower!"

"Everyone get down!" Ed shouted as the blimp slammed into the tall tower, causing the top of it to fall to the ground. Several cadets were nearby the falling rubble, but were waved from harm as a portion of the schools wall suddenly shot out and stopped the rubble.

"All students, fall back!" Major Armstrong ordered pulling his gloved fist from the wall. High above, the blimp began to drop dozens of V2s onto the Lanseal grounds. No sooner had the first batch touched down then they were all obliterated by bursts of flame!

"All students! Report directly to your briefing rooms!" Colonel Mustang ordered.

"Vine, give us weapons, we're in," Rosie ordered.

"Right, Avan, take Zaka, Rosie, Edy, and the Potters with you and get them suited up. Join us when you're ready," Vine ordered.

"Got it," Avan replied as the rest of the team headed for Squad G's briefing room.

"So they're bringing the fight to us, huh?" Ed declared transmuting his automail blade.

"Guess so. Welkin, Susie I'm counting on you to get Licia, Ali, and my sisters somewhere safe," Vine ordered.

"Let me help, Vine," Karen pleaded.

"You are helping, Karen. If they run into any trouble, it'll be up to you to keep them safe," Vine declared, "Ed, Al, let's go join Mustang and Armstrong."

"Right behind you," Ed declared as the three alchemists ran to join the fight.

"Come on, let's go!" Welkin ordered.

"AHHH!" Alicia cried suddenly, dropping to her knees.

"Alicia! What's wrong!" Welkin shouted.

"Ahhh… I think… she's coming!" Alicia cried.

"She! Oh no, you don't mean the baby!" Susie cried.

"Oh no… now what?"

"Sarah, go get my brother! Hurry!" Karen ordered, "we'll move Alicia over near the flower garden where we'll hopefully be safe. Hurry!"

"Okay!" Sarah cried taking off after Vine.

"Hang in there Alicia," Susie pleaded, "Welkin, help me."

"Got it," Welkin replied as he and Susie lifted Alicia up into the air and carried the suffering woman towards the garden followed by Karen and Lara. Noone had noticed that Aliasse… had suddenly disappeared.

….

You're not going any farther!" Vine roared as he blasted another V2, killing it.

"No auras! They don't have a power source!" Ed shouted.

"Not surprised. They couldn't bring in a vehicle on that airship! Lucky us. This'll almost be too easy!" Vine shouted. He almost immediately wished he hadn't as another dozen V2s dropped onto the roof… led by Dirk Gassenarl.

"Ah not him again," Ed shouted, "just what we needed!"

"Vine!" Sarah shouted running over to Vine and grabbing his leg, pulling him back the direction she had come, "hurry! It's Alicia! She's having her baby!"

"WHAT! Now! Ahh crap, that's bad timing!" Vine shouted.

"Go on, we'll handle things here!" Ed shouted.

"Alright, I'll be back as soon as I can," Vine declared picking up Sarah and taking off.

"They're by the garden! Hurry!" Sarah pleaded.

….

"Hand on, Alicia," Susie pleaded.

"This is bad," Karen declared, "of all the times, she had to pick now."

"What do you need me to do?" Welkin asked.

"Hold her hand," Karen declared, "I know what to do, but it's gonna get a little messy."

"Someone's coming!" Lara screamed as a man began to approach them from the side. The problem was that it was the wrong side to be Vine. The man had long black hair which covered the left side of his face while the right side of his face was covered with scars. His body was mostly covered by a brown cloak, except for two metal gauntlets which extended out from underneath it. A transmutation circle was drawn on either circle.

"No way… you're supposed to be locked up!" Welkin declared standing up and facing the man, "how're you…"

"Welkin!" Zaka's voice called as he ran up and joined them, pointing a sub machine gun at the encroaching man. He had a rifle on his back which he tossed to Welkin, "who's this guy?"

"Darcsen dog! Be gone!" the man shouted charging at Zaka and Welkin!

"Watch out! He's dangerous!" Welkin shouted as the man's gauntlet transmuted into a blade which he slashed at Zaka with, knocking the machine gun flying into the air.

"Die!" he shouted stabbing for Zaka, only to be driven away by a flash of red light.

"I'd ask how you're not in prison, but to be honest, I don't care. The Bomb Alchemist, I heard the reports, but I see you're an even bigger fool then they made you look," Vine declared walking in front of Zaka and Welkin, "you think Darcsens are dogs, do you, well isn't that just the most creative of lines. I've got a favorite line of my own when someone calls me that. Wanna hear it? Too bad, cause I'm gonna say it anyway. If I'm a dog, then that makes you dog food." Vine declared pulling his Blast Alchemy gloves tight and facing the Bomb Alchemist.

**Ending Theme: Ray of Light (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"You're pathetic, not even worth my time, foolish alchemist of Amestris!"

"Big talk from someone who's about to have a hole in his head."

"Wahhhh!"

"It's done. You've got a healthy baby girl."

"Good, now, back to the fight."

"Good luck, Vine. Isara's wishing you luck too. Both of them."

"Right, now I can't lose."

**Next Time: THE INVASION OF LANSEAL Part 3 The True Project Valhalla!**

"If it will allow me to protect my friends and Lanseal… then I'll take any risk."


	26. Chapter 26

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 24

THE INVASION OF LANSEAL Part 3

The True Project Valhalla

**Opening Theme: Asu e no Kizuna (Valkyria Chronicles)**

Vine didn't give the Bomb Alchemist a chance to respond as he immediately went on the offensive, firing three blasts in rapid succession which forced the Bomb Alchemist to evade while Vine transmuted a thick lance from the ground. The two alchemists charged at each other and began to exchange blows, Vine taking great care to keep himself between the enemy alchemist and the others while being careful not to lock blades with his foe for too long, which would give the Bomb Alchemist a chance to use bomb alchemy. The Bomb Alchemist lunged at Vine with a quick overhead slash, but the Raging Blast was able to knock it to the side and kick the Bomb in the stomach, pushing him backwards. Vine followed up with a horizontal, croissant shaped blast from his lance which Bomb had to duck in order to dodge.

"Is that all you can do? I knew you were nothing to worry about. I'll kill you easily," the Bomb Alchemist declared, though his heavy breathing told a very different story. Vine calmly wiped some sweat from his brow and pointed his lance at his foe.

"Let's see it then!" he demanded as he prepared for another strike from the Bomb.

"With pleasure!" the Bomb shouted transmuting his second gauntlet into a blade as well and charging at Vine who quickly grabbed his lance in the middle and transmuted it into two swords. The two alchemists continued to trade ferocious blows while Welkin and Zaka were forced to watch, unable to do anything to help. Behind them, Alicia screamed with pain as her baby struggled to emerge. Instinctively, Vine glanced back to Alicia, barely realizing his mistake in time to slide to the left as the gauntlet blade grazed his cheek. Sliding past the Bomb Alchemist, he hooked the back of his sword in front of his foes legs and pulled back, tripping the enemy alchemist and sending him sprawling forward. The Bomb Alchemist, taking advantage of his situation, stabbed his gauntlet into the ground.

"Uh oh!" Vine exclaimed realizing too late what was happening. He barely managed to jump backwards as the ground beneath him exploded, launching him onto his back. Vine crashed hard to his back, and though he rose quickly. It wasn't quickly enough as the Bomb Alchemist shot through the smoke of the explosion, forcing Vine to quickly and narrowly dodge several fierce stabs from his enemy.

"Now I have you!" Bomb shouted stabbing forward. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out and a bullet glanced off of the bomb's gauntlet. Seven Lanseal Students stood a short distance away, their weapons all pointed at the rebel alchemist.

"Freeze!" One of the boys who Vine recognized as Class C's class chair ordered.

"Get out of here! He's too dangerous!" Vine ordered too late.

"Rebellious little children, traitors of Gallia's bright, new future, it's time for you to disappear!" Bomb shouted charging the students before Vine could recover enough to counterattack. The class chair didn't get to fire off another shot from his rifle as the tip of the gun was cut.

"What…?" the cadet wondered looking at the narrow cut in his barrel. His confusion was soon replaced with pain and surprise as the weapon exploded in his hands, badly scalding his hands and shoulder. The other cadets were too surprised to react as soon, their own weapons were transmuted into bombs and exploded as well, knocking them all onto their backs. The chair reached to his belt and grabbed his side arm, only to have it knocked from his grip by the flat of the rebel alchemists blade. The chair's eyes widened with fear as the blade stabbed for his heart. Vine barely managed to make it in time, deflecting the attack away from the terrified cadet and kicking away the Bomb Alchemist.

"You idiots, get out of here right now, it's too dangerous!" Vine ordered the injured cadets.

"It makes no difference how far they run, they won't get away from me, no matter where they go. I'll find them all and I'll make them all explode into tiny pieces and use their remains as confetti to commemorate the formation of the great new Gallia!"

"I think someone needs to see a therapist," Vine declared facing his enemy again, "because I'm sensing a large amount of unbridled rage from you. However, I have just the cure. Let's finish this!"

"With pleasure!" the Bomb Alchemist shouted, throwing a handful of dirt into Vine's face as he rose to his feet, temporarily blinding the Raging Blast Alchemist. "Now I've got you!"

"Big Brother, watch out!" Lara shouted in dismay as the Bomb charged the still blinded Raging Blast. Vine had no time to react, but….

The Bomb Alchemist lurched forward as a gunshot rang out, catching everyone by surprise. Vine looked into the surprised eyes of the Bomb Alchemist as a trickle of blood slowly began to stream down his forehead and he fell. Susie stood behind him, trembling, with the side arm of the Class C chair clenched tightly in her hands.

"Phew, that got a little close," Vine sighed quietly as Susie dropped the gun and fell to her knees, still trembling. Vine glanced away from her, putting down his sword, he transmuted a large hole in the ground and proceeded to put the Bomb Alchemists body into it before transmuting a cover of Earth back over it. "Guess I should at least bury him," he declared as he finished his dirty work and rejoined the others.

….

"Ahhhhhh!" Alicia screamed again.

"It's a miracle all this screaming hasn't attracted any attention yet," Vine sighed as he watched.

"Oh shut up. You know a guy would have died from all the pain Alicia's going through right now," Karen said angrily to her older brother.

"Whatever," Vine sighed in response.

"So there, Vine," Zaka said smiling happily.

"Can it, Zaka," Vine ordered glancing over at Susie who was still shaking, several feet away from where they were sitting. "Guess she really hasn't changed all that much."

"No, poor girl. What possessed her to sign up to be a soldier, I'll never know. She used to tremble like that after every battle I remember. Sure brings back memories," Zaka replied.

"Sure does, some of which are probably best forgotten," Vine replied.

"Yeah, I guess so. So, are you going to talk to her or are you going to make me do it, cause you know I've never been as good at this pep talk thing as you," Zaka asked tilting his head towards Susie.

"What're you talking about?" Vine asked pausing for a moment before continuing, "yeah, I guess I'll do it." He stood up and walked over to Susie, sitting down next to her. "Suse… you okay?" he asked as he sat.

"Wasn't there enough killing during the war with the Imperials?" Susie cried back, her voice breaking with emotion, "didn't enough people die then? Did Isara and everyone who died during the war really die just so we could fight a war with ourselves!"

"Of course not Susie. I agree with you. More than enough people lost their lives fighting the Imperials. Gallia doesn't need any more bloodshed, but there's not a lot we can do about it now. I don't know about you, but I for one have no intention of letting Gassenarl have his way. That's be a worse way to commemorate the sacrifices of Is and the others then if we just didn't fight at all." He waited a moment to see how Susie would react before he continued. "That alchemist you took out. He'd been beaten before and allowed to live, yet instead of using that second chance to try to live peacefully, he decided to use it to kill more of Gallia's people. If he'd been allowed to live, I wonder how much more damage he could have caused. You probably saved a lot of lives back there, Suse, but I guess that still doesn't change the fact that you had to take a life to do it. I should apologize to you Susie. I should have ended that fight before it came to that," Vine sighed, "I should have been the one to kill him, I shouldn't have let it get to a position where you would have to do it for me." He waited quietly for a few more moments to size up Susie's reaction.

"It wasn't your fault," Susie sobbed, "I'm sorry Vine, I know I shouldn't be like this. It's disgraceful for a soldier to get so broken up over doing her job, but… I just can help it. I don't… I don't want…"

"Don't talk like that Susie. It's not wrong to feel bad about having to kill. I'm not gonna lie, I wish I were more like you. I've spilled so much blood now it's beginning to feel like second nature. I can cut down an enemy soldier without blinking an eye or feeling any remorse. It disgusts me to see how hardened I've become to war and killing. Truth be told, Susie, I'm glad. I'm glad you haven't ended up becoming like me," Vine revealed putting his arm around his friend who looked at him, a mixture of surprise and happiness spread across her face. Their conversation was interrupted before Susie could respond, however, by a high pitch cry.

"It's a girl!" Karen shouted happily as Vine and Susie as well as Welkin and Zaka shot to their feet and ran to Alicia's side and stared down at the small child clenched in her mother's arms.

"Oh she's so beautiful!" Susie cried, "she looks just like her mother!"

"Uhhhh, I guess kinda hard to tell, considering that she doesn't have any hair," Vine replied.

"Well congratulations, Welkin, you're a daddy now," Zaka said teasingly.

"What's her name! What's her name!" Lara and Sarah both shouted excitedly as the two young children swarmed on either side of the new born child.

"Isara," Alicia replied, "her name is… Isara Gunther."

"Isara? Oooohhhh I like it!" Lara shouted excitedly.

"Isara…" Karen repeated looking at Vine, "what do you think, Brother?"

"Uhhh, I think I left a bunch of military cadets to fight off an army of Artificial Valkyria all by themselves!" Vine suddenly remembered, "I gotta go! I'll trust you guys to get Licia and Is back into the school."

"I'll come too," Zaka declared grabbing his sub machine gun and preparing to follow Vine.

"Hold on Zaka," Welkin ordered, "I have something else I need your help with."

"Huh?" Vine said curiously, "ohhhh, I think I like where this is going."

"I don't," Alicia declared, "you'd better be careful Welkin. I don't want to raise our daughter all by myself!"

"You worry too much, Licia," Vine declared giving a thumbs up to the new mother, "after all, that tank happens to be your child's legacy." With that, Vine, Welkin, and Zaka, all took off to join the fight for Lanseal.

"My child's legacy?" Alicia repeated, smiling weakly, "Isara, please, watch over them."

….

Edward slammed his hands against the ground, transmuting a wave of spikes that bowled over several of the still unshielded V2s. Class G continued to fire on them, those who could anyways. Many of the class members had been forced down behind cover with injuries. Ed ducked behind a transmuted Earth wall with Avan and an injured Rene just as Cosette arrived to ten to Rene's wounds.

"Ed, Avan, I'm running out of Ragnaid!" Cosette shouted as she used up some of her remaining ragnaid on a deep gash on Rene's arm, "we just can't keep up!"

"Darn it, there're just to many of these guys! Where're they all coming from!" Suddenly, there was a loud crash and a portion of Lanseal's wall crumbled as an enemy tank broke through.

"Oh man, this isn't good!" Ed shouted anxiously.

"Where's our tank! Where's Lavinia!" Avan shouted.

"Our tank was getting upgraded today. Lavinia had already started when the attack occurred," Rene revealed as the Ragnaid finished closing the wound on her arm.

"So does that mean we have a new tank?" Avan asked.

"It means we **will **have a new tank," Rene replied, "but right now it means we have **no **tank!"

"Ah great!" Avan shouted as the Tank cannon began to take aim. Suddenly, the tank hatch began to glow with alchemical energy. The cadets watched as the turret transformed… into a giant statue of Alex Louis Armstrong's upper body.

"Who needs a tank when you have the incredible might of the Strong Arm Alchemist! Gaze upon the beauty and art of my alchemy, that has been passed down the Armstrong family line for generations!" Major Armstrong declared bursting out from behind the tank.

"What's with Alchemists and transmuting everything into something that looks like them?" Avan shouted.

"At least that actually looks like the Major, unlike a certain someone's silly little balls with a hair sticking out of it," Rene replied poking her head over the cover.

"What was that Rene!" Ed asked in an annoyed tone.

"Nothing worth repeating to a little bullet," Rene replied.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SHORT!" Ed shouted back, now in a very angry tone.

"Focus you fools! We've got more tanks incoming!" Zeri shouted suddenly as two more tanks burst through the wall, only to almost instantly be destroyed. The cadets looked back to see Vine riding on top of an unfamiliar looking tank. It was blue in color and had the symbol of Gallia painted on its side. The tank hatch opened and Welkin stuck his head out.

"No way! That's the Edelweiss!" Cosette shouted excitedly.

"The Edelweiss!" Avan repeated, "as in Squad 7's legendary Tank!"

"Vine, that one in the fancier armor," Zaka shouted up, "is that Dirk Gassenarl?"

"Yeah," Vine replied, "guess it's time for me to get busy."

"Leave the weaker ones to us!" Welkin ordered as Vine put his hand against the hull of the Edelweiss.

"Sorry about this, Is," he said quietly as he transmuted his trademark sword from the tanks armor, "but I'll need something strong to hold up in this fight!" he shouted leaping from the Edelwiess and charging forward at a dead run. Jumping off of Ed's cover, he used his alchemy blast from his feet to propel himself the final distance between him and Gassenarl with incredible speed and force, slamming his sword into Dirk's lance and forcing the powerful Artificial Valkyria backwards. "This isn't going to end like the last time we fought Dirk. I've already figured you out. Your nothing but a cheap parlor trick, an attempt by your father to replicate the fighting abilities of a Valkyria by using external power sources and ragnite powered relics in combination with more traditional Alchemy. You're nothing but a knock off, and a poorly constructed one at that. All I have to do is fight you the same way I've fought any one of the other Valkyria I've met in the past and you won't even be a challenge." Dirk Gassenarl simply rose, clutching his lance and shield tightly as he growled fiercely at his Alchemist enemy. "So let's see what's more powerful, shall we?" Vine asked pulling his gloves tight, "Your cheap, knock-off Valkyrian Alchemy, or true Blast Alchemy." Dirk's lance began to glow blue as he swung at Vine who swung his sword at the same time, releasing a red blast. The two bursts of energy collided, pushing the two fighters away from each other a few steps before they both recovered and began to unload on each other with a fierce exchange of melee attacks.

"Don't you dare forget about me!" Ed shouted suddenly, leaping over Vine's head and forcing Dirk backwards with several strikes of his Automail blade before Vine swung around the Fullmetal Alchemist and slammed his blade into Dirk's shield pushing him back a few more steps.

"Brother! Vine! Look out!" Alphonse shouted behind them as both alchemists darted to the side and a pillar of rock that Alphonse had transmuted shot between them, slamming into Dirk and throwing him back a considerable distance. He soon rose to his feet.

"Damage minimal, recommencing operation."

"So this guy's a Valkyrur, huh?" Ed asked.

"No, that's what confused me when we fought the first time, and a big part of why he was able to defeat us so easily. True Valkyria are all women. To my knowledge, there are no male Valkyrur. It took some thinking, but seeing Forester's notes the other day gave me a good idea about what he is, an artificial Valkyrur," Vine revealed.

"How so?" Ed asked in response.

"During the war with the Empire, there was a huge battle at a place called Naggiar. There, we discovered for the first time that Alicia was a Valkyrur. During the battle, Alicia defeated the Imperial Valkyrur, a woman named Selvaria Bles, and was instrumental giving us the upper hand in the fight. Forester, who had lost Selvaria as her test subject when the Imperial commander took her, noticed Alicia's defeat of Selvaria and wanted to use Alicia as her new test subject and petitioned the military commander, General Borg, to allow him to take Alicia as her subject in exchange for using her research to produce artificially engineered Valkyria to fight for Gallia."

"What happened?" Al asked.

"Well, for starters, I nearly killed Borg. After that, the rest of the soldiers revolted against him. Alicia had just saved all of their lives in the battle and not one of them was willing to throw her to an Imperial scientist like a scrap of meat, regardless of what was promised in return. I had no idea that Clementia had another Valkyrur to use in her experiments. I'd be willing to bet that the man we're looking at now is a result of those experiments," Vine revealed.

"Do you think that's what project Valhalla is?" Ed wondered.

"I don't know. It makes sense, but if all the test subjects died, then where did he come from?" Vine responded, "Dirk Gassenarl isn't really part of the Gassenarl family, or at least he only appeared in the time following the war with the empire. There's too much here that isn't adding up, but I'm not sure how anxious I am to find out the truth."

"Well at any rate, here he comes!" Ed declared as the three Alchemists once again prepared to face the Artificial Valkyria.

"Here we go!" Vine shouted preparing to lunge.

"Get out of the way!" a familiar voice shouted from behind them! Vine, Ed, and Al barely managed to scatter as a blue beam passed in between them, engulfing a large number of the V2s before being blocked by Dirk's shield and stopping.

"A Valkyrian Flame! Was that Aliasse!" Alphonse shouted looking around for the young Valkyrur.

"I don't think so, that voice that shouted at us, it sounded like…" Ed began looking at the source of the blast that had just shot past them. His eyes widened with surprise and dismay when he saw her. A young woman clad in a Lanseal uniform that had been modified with thicker armored parts. She was carrying what looked like a large gun shaped like a lance… and a Valkyrian shield.

"Julianna…" Vine realized in dismay. Another Artificial Valkyria… had entered the fight.

**Ending Theme: Ray of Light (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"Julianna!"

"All of you get out of here right now!"

"Don't be an idiot! You're going to get yourself killed!"

"If that's what it takes… to protect Lanseal… then so be it!"

**Next Time: A DEADLY CLASH Everheart vs Gassenarl**

"I'm won't let any more children die!"


	27. Chapter 27

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 25

A DEADLY CLASH

Everheart vs Gassenarl

**Opening Theme: Asu e no Kizuna (Valkyria Chronicles)**

"Julianna! What are you doing here!" Zeri shouted.

"All of you get back!" Julianna shouted.

"Are you insane! They'll kill you!" Zeri protested.

"I told you to go!" Julianna screamed opening fire with her lance again. Vine, Ed, and Al, were once again forced to scatter as the blast incinerated more V2s before being stopped by Dirk.

"Another Artificial Valkyria?" Ed exclaimed, "but how!"

"Julianna's name was on that list of potential prospects for Project Valhalla! Darn it, so Forester is behind this!" Vine exclaimed.

"Watch out!" Al shouted as the two State Alchemists turned to see Gassenarl firing his own beam attack. The three alchemists dodged, but rather than dodge herself, Julianna raised her shield, blocking the attack, but blowing both her and the shield away from one another.

"What the heck! Gassenarl's blocking her attacks easily!" Ed shouted.

"His armor is better designed, Julianna's just isn't made to handle Valkyrian level combat!" Vine shouted back, "if I had to take a guess, I'd say Dirk's also got a weapon that was better funded and researched while Julianna who would have had to have been augmented while we've been fighting, has whatever Forester happened to have lying around the lab!"

"Darn it… don't they care what happens to her!" Ed shouted, "they could have just left it to us! She'll die at this rate!"

"I doubt Forester cares, Julianna is a test subject, and whether she lives or dies only means whether or not she was a successful experiment to her. As for Kluivert, he'd rather send his soldiers to their death then let Alchemists handle this fight. That'd be bad for his accursed pride!" Vine replied.

"Brother, Colonel!" Al shouted, "Gassenarl's preparing to fire again!"

"Ah crap, so's Jules!" Ed shouted as Julianna and Dirk both raised their lances.

"Julianna! You've gotta dodge his attack! You won't survive another shot!" Vine shouted angrily.

"So long as I can still draw breath… I'll keep fighting!" Julianna shouted firing her blast as Dirk fired his. The two blasts passed each other and continued on their past. Julianna's blast slammed into Dirk, blowing him back into an academy wall while Julianna… was engulfed in Dirk's blast.

….

"JULIANNA!" Zeri shouted desperately as the blast engulfed the Class A chair. The blast dissipated as a wall of earth crumbled. Julianna stood, largely unharmed, and staring forward at…

"Darn it," Vine cursed as he rose, gripping his arm, "formed that wall too close to my body and got hit by some of the debris when it got blown away. Even so, looks like I made it just in time."

"Colonel… why did you…"

"You idiot… I told you to dodge," Vine said angrily, "just so you know, I'm gonna have you running laps until you drop from exhaustion for disobeying my order. Then when you recover enough to run again, I'm going to make you do it again for disobeying my order to come to me before you accepted any special missions."

"Sir… I…" Julianna began, but stopped when she suddenly started coughing and dropped to her knees.

"Take it easy, believe it or not, you're not really a Valkyrur. Your body can't handle that level of power for long without an external power source, which I don't need to remind you that you don't have," Vine declared, "their armor is designed for this, yours isn't. You can't handle as much of a beating."

"Colonel… I…" Julianna began to protest but was silenced by more coughs.

"She may be an idiot, but that doesn't get you off the hook, Gassenarl," Vine declared turning his attention back to Dirk who was only half visible through the smoke and debris, "you ever try to harm one of my kids again, and I'll kill you." Just then, a gust of wind cleared the smoke entirely from Dirk, revealing that his helmet had been blown off by the impact. Vine's expression turned from one of anger to one of surprise. "What the hell?" He was a young looking man with spiky red hair dark red eyes.

"No way… Brother… does he…" Al began.

"He looks just like Avan!" Ed finished looking back at a wide-eyed Avan.

"It can't… Leon!" Avan gasped.

"Leon?" Ed repeated staring at the artificial Valkyrur, "but… the report said…"

"The report must be inaccurate," Vine declared, "that's likely intentional."

"Avan… is that really… your brother?" Cosette asked.

"Wait… that's Avan's brother!" Al exclaimed.

"What in heaven's name is happening here?" Armstrong gasped at the revelation.

"Damage Minimal… able to continue operation," Leon declared rising to his feet.

"Are you kidding… he just doesn't stay down," Ed cursed.

"Stop it, Leon! Don't you recognize me!" Avan shouted, "why are you fighting for the rebels!" Leon didn't answer his question and began to advance again. Just then a soldier came running up to him.

"Lord Gassenarl, we found the lab, sir. The valkyrur was not there, but we did find several notes on Artifical Valkyria research," the man revealed.

"Artificial… ah crap!" Ed shouted.

"That's not good," Vine cursed.

"Understood, Mission complete, pull out," Dirk declared.

"You aren't getting away!" Ed shouted charging along with Al. Vine and Armstrong followed close behind, but all four alchemists were forced to take cover as several V2s opened fire. They were able to dispatch the V2s, but not before Dirk and the other soldiers… had escaped into the airship that had brought them."

"No… we let them get away!" Vine exclaimed.

"And now… they have all the information they need to make Artificial Valkyria," Ed declared.

"Julianna! Julianna, say something!" Zeri's voice brought their attention back to the present as Vine, Ed, and Al rushed to Julianna's side as Avan and Cosette reached her as well. Zeri was already there.

"Is she…" Cosette asked as Vine knelt next to Julianna and checked her pulse.

"She's alive… but she's in bad shape. We need to get her to the hospital, now!" Vine replied.

"Colonel," Julianna coughed, "I'm sorry… I disobeyed orders, but…"

"We'll discuss that later," Vine declared as he lifted her up into his arms, "hospital first."

"Hardins… your brother… this… this is the secret mission they gave him as well… the entry exams, the curriculum, this… entire school under Lt. General Kluivert… is designed for the sole purpose of training Artificial Valkyria," Julianna revealed glancing over at Avan, "that's… that's why…" she didn't get to finish her sentence as she passed out.

"That's why what! Julianna, hey!" Avan shouted anxiously.

"Let her rest, Avan," Vine ordered, "I'm willing to bet that she was going to say that that was why an aptitude test is administered to new students using ragnite. It's to test their affinity to Ragnite based items to see how their bodies would handle the ragnite augmentations. The schools class system is based on how good a candidate the students are to be used for human experiments."

"Why… why would Kluivert do such a thing?" Armstrong demanded.

"I don't know, but he can count that there's going to be hell to pay for this," Vine hissed angrily.

….

"She's so cute, Alicia," Cosette said happily as she gazed at the baby girl nestled in her mother's arms.

"Thank you, Cosette," Alicia replied happily.

"Isara huh," Rosie said, "anyone else find the timing of this a bit too coincidental."

"I think someone got tired of old Raging Blast always talking about why he hates the feast of all spirits, and decided to give him a reason to like it," Largo declared.

"Who're you calling old, Grandpa?" Vine declared as he walked into the hospital room, joining his comrades from both Squad 7 and Squad G.

"How's Julianna?" Ed asked standing up.

"She's in a coma," Vine replied, "Doctors aren't sure when or even if she'll wake up."

"She'd better wake up soon," Avan declared, "I don't think Zeri's gonna leave that room until she does."

"Good a way as any to spend his time off. I assure you, it's gonna be quite some time before Lanseal is able to operate again," Ed declared, "we may have just found ourselves with a lot of down time."

"And here I just went and used up all my vacation pay time," Vine sighed, "just my luck. All in all, we lucked out. We only had 17 casualties along with a few injuries. That could have been a lot worse."

"It's thanks to you alchemists," Welkin declared, "it was incredible, watching 5 people fending off an entire army almost single handedly."

"Maybe so, but even so, we're lucky," Vine declared, "a certain someone and his tank didn't hurt either. That old girl's saved our butts more times then I'd care to recall."

"Are you talking about Isara or Edelweiss?" Welkin asked.

"If I were talking about Is, I wouldn't have said old, but it holds true with both," Vine replied, "speaking of, quite a coincidence don't you think. It's been two years exactly… the Feast of All Spirits."

"I think there's an echo in here," Rosie declared as the door to the room burst open and Lavinia walked in.

"Alright, where is she?" Lavinia asked, "I wanna see this new baby everyone's going on about."

"Did you finish the tank?" Vine asked.

"Just finished it. All it needs now is a name," Lavinia replied walking over to the bedside, "Is this her? Ahh, she really is a cutie."

Vine noticed Zaka smiling. "What's got you so happy over there?"

"I was just thinking, it's ironic. Two years ago on this day, we thought Isara's dreams had been taken from her," Zaka declared.

"Now, here we are, two years later to the day," Welkin continued as he knelt beside Alicia who handed him Isara. Welkin stared down at the little child, not even trying to hide the tears that flowed down his cheeks. "Isara… it's your responsibility now, to carry the dreams your aunt left behind that day into the future. We're all going to be counting on you now, okay?" he smiled gently as his child stirred, seeming to nod her head as though to accept her responsibility. Welkin broke down crying.

"You gonna cry Vine?" Ed asked, his own voice showing emotion.

"Can it… mouse," Vine whined back.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A MOUSE! DO I LOOK LIKE SOMEONE WHO EATS CHEESE!" Ed shouted angrily.

"Of course not, if you ate your cheese and drank your milk, the calcium'd help you grow big and strong and you wouldn't be a shrimp anymore."

"OH SO I'M A SHRIMP NOW! WE'LL SEE WHOS THE SILLY LITTLE BEAN SPROUT ONCE I TURN YOU INTO A COCKROACH!"

"I'd probably still be taller then you."

"WHY YOU LITTLE…"

"Knock it off you two, honestly, you're going to scare Isara," Cossete scolded.

"Actually, she's smiling," Welkin said as he laughed gently. Sure enough, the baby didn't look the least bit upset, but was smiling happily!

"Heh," Vine chuckled, "looks like I'm not the only one who enjoys poking fun at our **little **friend."

"STOP CALLING ME LITTLE!"

"Isara… huh…" Lavinia said, looking as though she were deep in thought, "I've got it!"

"Got what now?" Vine asked.

"The name for Squad G's new tank. We'll call it, Isara's Dream," Lavinia declared as though it'd been decided, "consider it a birthday gift to the youngest member of Squad G."

"Isara's Dream?" Ed repeated as though he were thinking about the name, "I guess it does have kind of a nice ring to it."

"I love it, Lavinia!" Cosette exclaimed, "good thinking!"

"Well at least it's better than Shamrock," Vine declared though he looked pleased with the name.

"Those're fighting words, Vine," Zaka declared.

"Alright then," Avan declared, "those rebel's had better watch out now, cause we have Isara's Dream on our side!"

"Heh, yeah!" Alicia declared happily, "in more ways than one!"

"Oh brother, someone looking in on us right now'd probably think they just stepped into a really bad soap opera about tanks," Vine sighed.

"With you around, they're not far off, buddy boy," Rosie declared.

"Watch it Rosie, there is a pond on campus ground that should be just deep enough for a swimming lesson," Vine declared teasingly.

"Uhh, if memory serves, didn't you almost get shot the last time you tried that?" Largo asked.

"Almost, but I didn't," Vine declared. The others in the room couldn't help but laugh.

….

"Lanseal has been dealt a fatal blow," Gilbert Gassenarl declared as he stood before his soldiers, "and with its fall, the way to Randgriz is layed bare! We shall march in and take the capital!" The soldiers let out a triumphant roar. On an overhead balcony, Audrey stood watching the soldiers below. She didn't notice Baldren approaching her.

"It seems that that worthless Bomb Alchemist failed to eliminate the Darcsen and got himself killed. Colonel Vine is still alive," Baldren revealed as Audrey sighed. "We won't miss him next time," Baldren declared firmly, "if he gets in our way again, he'll die by my hands."

"Randgriz, it's been some time since we've been there brother," Audrey declared.

"The last time I was there, it was under a corrupt and traitorous regime. This time, it will be to triumphantly overthrow those who have poisoned Gallia. There is much to prepare. I'll take my leave, now," Baldren declared as he left.

"The last time I was there… I wonder if we'll meet there again," Audrey wondered as she closed her eyes and turned away from the still cheering soldiers, _if we do… then I have no doubt that my life will end in Randgriz._

**Ending Theme: Ray of Light (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"Man, this place is a dump. I can't believe all the damage that attack caused."

"It could have been worse."

"Vine! Shorty! Look! Look!"

"What is it Aliasse?"

"Are you kidding… of all the places on campus, this wasn't destroyed?"

**Next Time: THE BLOOMING FLOWERS Aliasse's Decision**

"I want to use my powers… to protect!"


	28. Chapter 28

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 26

THE BLOOMING FLOWERS

Aliasse's Decision

**Opening Theme: Asu e no Kizuna (Valkyria Chronicles)**

Deep underground, in the new demolished lab of Clementia Forester, Lt. General Kluivert stood, looking around in dismay. "It's gone… It's all gone!" Kluivert shouted angrily as he looked desperately for the Project Valhalla research. Curse you, Gassenarl! That's twice now you've stolen everything from me!" he shouted angrily.

"Maybe this is fate's way of telling you you're a no good scum bag, Kluivert," a voice declared from outside the room. The door to the room opened and Vine and Ed walked in.

"So it's true then, you really were behind the things that were happening here," Ed declared angrily, "then what happened to Julianna and Avan's brother was your fault."

"Alchemists," Kluivert said angrily, "what would you understand. How could the dogs of a powerful country like Amestris understand what it feels like to not have power? To be a small, defenseless nation left at the mercy of larger powers on either side! Without my research, Gallia has no chance of surviving to have a future!"

"So you endangered the lives of children, Gallia's most important research? You're the one who's gonna kill Gallia, Kluivert, not the Empire. We already beat them once," Vine declared coldly, "you've preformed your dangerous and inhumane experiments on human beings! That is unforgiveable!"

"Unforgiveable?" Kluivert repeated, letting out a maniacal laugh that made the two State Alchemists uneasy, "you say it's unforgiveable? I'll tell you what's unforgiveable, Colonel, you're naivety! Do you believe that power can be gained without sacrifice? So what if we lose one, two, or even several dozen students if it means saving Gallia? They come to this school to join the army anyway, many of them would have likely died far more useless deaths if not for this research!"

"And just how many people have you sacrificed for this research, Kluivert!" Vine demanded.

"Well, let's see, along with our two successes, we had roughly two dozen failures who didn't survive the augmentation, but 24 deaths is hardly anything. How do they compare with the hundreds who lost their lives when the Empire invaded? Deaths that could have been avoided if we had had this power!"

"It wouldn't have done you any good. Aliasse was able to demolish the Artificial Valkyria who attacked us in Leanbluff and she's not even a mature Valkyria yet. A Valkyrur like Selvaria Bles could have leveled your entire army in a matter of moments. It wouldn't have made any difference," Vine declared, "as for how your 24 compare to the hundreds who died during the war, that's a sad fact of war. People die and there's nothing we can do to change that. Sometimes, all we can do is accept that we were powerless to stop it from happening and move on. Those who lost their lives during the war did so willingly, protecting their homes and people they loved! Can the 24 you murdered say the same!" Vine shouted angrily.

"Accept that we're powerless and move on? So, is that what you did with that little girl you let die in Marberry Shore?" Kluivert asked.

"If you don't want me to bury you with this lab, you'll stop right there," Vine threatened, "if you try to use her to justify your sick scheme, I'll kill you where you stand."

"My, aren't you angry. You know what I've come to accept, Vine? I've come to accept that despite all your talk, you've come to realize that you Alchemists are completely worthless. Is that why you're afraid of my research? Afraid that if Gallia were to acquire the power of the Valkyrur, that there would be no place for you Alchemists? I'll…" he stopped short as a blast cut through his hip, causing him to drop to his knees.

"Afraid of your Valkyrur? Don't make me laugh, I've held my own against a true, full-blooded Valkyria. Your dime store rejects are little more than an annoyance to me. Though I'll admist, there is something about it that scares me. The thought of the kind of Gallia that self-righteous monsters like you and Gassenarl would create is enough to scare me to death," Vine replied.

"The Gallia I'd create… would be one where Gallian's could live free of fear, because we'd have the power to destroy our enemies!" Kluivert shouted.

"You don't get it!" Ed shouted angrily, "are all you Gallian nobles this stupid! Using your sick and perverted sense of patriotism to justify murder. You're just like Gassenarl!"

"What did you just say to me!" Kluivert shouted angrily.

"You wanna know where you'll get the strength to keep Gallia safe, Kluivert? It's not a hard question, but I'll tell you the answer anyway. You'll get that strength… from Avan and Zeri, Cossete, Julianna, Nichol, Franca, Annisette, and all the other students here at this school, and not by turning them into artificial Valkyria either! They'll bring the real strength by themselves, by being human beings! You can't defend humans by taking humanity away from your soldiers! That doesn't even make sense!" Ed shouted angrily.

"They'll bring their own strength, by just being human?" Kluivert repeated, chuckling as though he found something amusing, "I see your little friend is every bit as disgustingly naïve as you are, Raging Blast. How you can honestly say you believe such a foolish statement is beyond me!"

"And how you can be such an idiot is beyond me," Vine replied, "Julianna and Leon Hardins would have made excellent soldiers in the army. They would have been a light that led Gallia to a future where it could be at peace. Now, thanks to you, those two lights may well be lost to us forever."

"Any work they may have done as simple human soldiers has already been eclipsed by the purpose they've served in furthering the research of artificial Valkyria."

"Research that's in rebel hands now!" Ed shouted, "if you're right, General, then Gallia is as good as finished, because now, it's Gallia's enemy that has your precious research!" That statement caused Kluivert to clench his teeth with anger.

"You've thrown Gallia to the wolves, General," a voice called from behind Vine and Ed, surprising even them. They both turned, just as Mustang and his team entered the room, "it's a pity, I'd like to see the look on your face when we 'pathetic humans with no strength' fix your mistake, but it doesn't look like I'm going to get that chance. You see, I just got off the phone with the Gallian military leaders. You should consider yourself lucky. After reviewing the evidence, the military has decided to spare your family the embarrassment of a court martial. You've been found guilty of inhuman experimentation and the murder and endangerment of Lanseal cadets. They've already given the order for your arrest and execution for war crimes."

"Mustang?" Vine responded.

"Colonel?" Ed responded.

"Given the order… for my execution? But why! My actions have been to save Gallia! You can't just…"

"You seem to forget something, General," Mustang replied, "Gilbert Gassenarl is preaching that exact same line. He's commiting evil, unforgivable acts of war, but he's justifying it because it's 'for the good of Gallia'. That's exactly why the Gallian government now believes you may be an even bigger threat then the Gassenarls."

"It's over Kluivert, if you come quietly, I might be able to pull some strings with the Archduchess to spare your life, but I'd advise against making things worse for yourself," Vine cautioned.

"Spare my life? Why? So I can watch a powerless Gallia be destroyed by its enemies. I'd sooner die," Kluivert replied. Vine clenched his teeth as Kluivert reached towards his hip. He knew that all Gallian military personnel carried a handgun holstered at their waist and Kluivert was no exception. He was going for his gun. Sure enough, Kluivert moved aside his military jacket to reveal a handgun which he began to draw from its holster.

"Think this through, Kluivert. You don't have a prayer of winning this fight," Mustang cautioned, "if you walk away now, you can at least spare yourself the humiliation of being killed by the alchemists you hate so much."

"I have thought this through, Colonel Mustang," Kluivert replied as he continued to raise the gun, "my only regret was that I couldn't protect Gallia from the Federation, the Empire, and Amestris." He smiled wickedly as he raised the gun… and pointed it at his own head. Neither Vine nor Mustang had a prayer of reaching him in time.

….

"He took the coward's way out," Mustang cursed as he and his group left the old campus grounds. A military team had already arrived and was attending to Kluivert.

"Well, you can definitely say he died the way he lived," Havoc remarked as he lit a cigarette, "what now?"

"Now, we're in rough shape," Mustang replied, "the campus is trashed and its Headmaster, our connection to the Gallian military. For all intents and purposes, Lanseal is a chicken with its head cut off. Still functioning, but lacking any real direction."

"Is that what you think?" Vine asked, "well. I'll agree we're beheaded right now, but… I'd say we're more of a hydra then a chicken."

"A what?" Ed replied.

"Now you see, this is my biggest problem with Alchemists. They get so caught up in facts and history, that they don't bother reading mythology and stories," Vine declared, "a hydra is a creature from ancient greek mythology."

"A giant dragon-like monster, and if memory serves, when you cut off its head…" Hawkeye continued.

"Two grow back to take its place, and the monster only becomes twice as powerful," Armstrong finished.

"Like they always say, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?" Vine replied.

"I guess that makes sense," Ed declared, "because we're definitely not finished yet."

"Right, we've still got our ties to the Amestrian military and through them, the Gallian. So honestly, we're not in as bad a shape as we first appear to be," Vine declared.

"Not yet at least," Mustang declared, "I wonder if that'll last… once news of the attack reaches the public. We can't hide what Kluivert did for long. Word is going to get out and when it does, I wonder how thrilled parents are going to be about leaving their kids at the school. We may have only lost 17 students during the fighting, but I'm willing to bet that we'll have lost more then half of our student body by next month."

"Way to spoil it Mustang," Vine replied, then sighed, "I hate it when you're right."

"Well, no use worrying about it now. Right now, I think we need to focus on fixing the academy buildings that were damaged during the fighting," Ed declared.

"I also hate it when he's right," Vine sighed, "that's gonna take forever."

"Big Brother! Big Brother!" a small voice was heard calling from nearby.

"That sounds like Lara," Ed declared.

"That it does," Vine replied, "I wonder what she wants." As he spoke, Lara came into view, accompanied by Karen, Sarah, and Aliasse.

"Vine! Shorty! Over here!" Ali shouted.

"Hey, it's Ali," Vine said.

"STOP CALLING ME SHORTY!" Ed shouted angrily.

"Are you alright, Ali?" Vine asked.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" Ali replied.

"Guess she wasn't home when the rebels showed up," Ed suggested.

"Guess not," Vine replied, "what's up?"

"Come on, come on! You've gotta come see!" Ali shouted as she grabbed Vine and Ed by the hand and started to pull them along.

"Whoa, hey slow down! What're you going to show us!" Ed shouted.

"Just hurry up!" Ali shouted kicking Ed's left shin. She yelped and let go of the two alchemists, clenching her foot and jumping up and down, "owwwie! What's your leg made of, metal?"

"Yes," Ed and Vine replied simultaneously as Ed lifted his left pant leg to show her the automail.

"Oh… what happened to your leg?"

"Uh, Ali, I believe you were about to show us something," Vine declared, trying to quickly change the subject.

"Oh yeah!" she shouted grabbing them again, "come on!"

"It's so cool! Hurry Brother!" Lara pleaded.

"Alright, we're coming," Vine declared, "sheesh."

….

Vine and Ed followed the three younger children across the campus. Cosette and Avan were kneeling nearby and the two alchemists realized that they were near the Class G flower garden.

"You've gotta be kidding," Ed sighed.

"The campus is in ruins and the flowers didn't get touched. That box must be more powerful than I thought," Vine said, chuckling.

"Look! The flowers changed!" Ali said as she pointed excitedly at the flowers.

"It looks like a few of the flowers have bloomed a little early," Karen declared as the heroes walked over and looked over the garden. Three fully bloomed white flowers grew from the ground in a small corner of the dirt. The remaining flowers had yet to bloom, but looked like they soon would.

"Look at this one!" Ali shouted proudly, "this one is the one I planted!"

"Well, Avan and Cosette," Vine said looking over at the two cadets, "I'd say good job to class G, but I don't think Class G did anything."

"I guess not," Cosette replied, laughing, "it was all Ali, Lara, and Sarah. They were out here every day watering these flowers and caring for them, you three should be proud of yourselves. It's all thanks to you that these flowers were able to turn out so beautiful."

"I say this deserves a celebration," Avan declared, "let's get some lunch."

"Of course you'd want food," Ed sighed.

"I happen to know a nice little Ramen shop not too far from campus," Vine revealed, "my treat."

"I am so there!" Avan shouted happily.

"I figured you'd say that, but in exchange, you've gotta promise to work extra hard with the repairs to the campus," Vine said smiling. That smile was suddenly replaced by a stern, almost angry expression as he looked over to his side.

"What's wrong?" Ed asked looking in the direction Vine was, his face became as unpleasant looking as Vine's.

"Unwanted company," Vine replied as the others looked over… and saw Clementia Forster walking towards them.

"There you are, Aliasse. I'd wondered where you'd gotten off too," she declared. Vine had to clench his teeth to keep from making a comment. She had to know that the rebels had been their to steal her research and to take Aliasse, but it was obvious by the lack of concern in her voice that losing Ali would have only meant she would have had to find another Valkyria for her experiments. He quickly remembered every reason why he hated the woman standing before him.

"Mama!" Ali shouted happily, running to the woman and grabbing her hand; pulling her towards the flowers, "look!" she kneeled down and pointed at her little flower, "I grew this, Mama! Isn't it pretty?" The look in Forster's eyes made Vine wish he had a hunk of metal nearby that wasn't attached to Ed. He considered transmuting his sword from the automail, but knew that would be a bad idea. "Mama? Aren't they…" Ali began to ask again as Forster stepped towards the flower, and then stepped on it, shifting her foot to drive the fragile flower into the ground. Ali watched in horror as the flower she'd worked so hard to see grow was crushed under her 'Mama's' foot.

"What're you doing!" Lara shouted angrily charging forward and trying to push Clementia off the flower, "that's Aliasse's, you can't just…" she didn't get to finish as Clementia swung her hand and back handed the girl, sending her sprawling across the flower bed, causing her to crush several more flowers as she fell.

"Lara!" Ali cried.

"Worthless Darcsen. How dare you…" she didn't get to finish her sentence as Vine roared past the others and slammed his fist into her jaw, sending her sprawling.

"If you think you've seen me mad before, Forster, I can assure you that you haven't seen anything yet. If you touch my little sister's again, I'll break you in half," Vine declared angrily.

"Hmph, so she's your sister then," Forster declared as she stood up, "I can see the resemblance. At any rate, I don't care. I'm here for Aliasse…"

"Why did you crush it, Mama… why?" Aliasse whined, tears rolling down her eyes as she looked down at the crushed flower. Lara was beginning to cry as well as Karen and Cosette knelt down next to the younger girls and hugged them, trying to comfort them.

"I'd love to hear your explanation Forster, why don't you tell us," Vine ordered.

"Something so fragile and useless, that only serves as a decoration, has no right to live," Forster replied, "a flower has no power of its own. It's weak, therefore it dies."

"Fragile and useless? Deserves to die!" Ed shouted angrily, "it wasn't any of those things to Aliasse! She worked hard to nurture and protect it so it'd grow! She looks up to you as her mother! How could you do something like this!"

"Nurture and protect? Those are worthless desires based out of fragile human emotions. They are not something a Valkyria needs," the doctor replied.

"You haven't changed one bit. I was right about you, you're the same arrogant witch who tried to take Alicia two years ago for your experiments," Vine hissed angrily, "you realize that you're an Imperial scientist on Gallian soil, right? I ought to have you arrested, but for Ali's sake, I'm just going to tell you to leave, and don't you ever even think about coming back."

"I was already planning to. The headmaster is dead and my research had been stolen. There is no further reason for us to remain here," Forster retorted, "Ali, you will go gather your things. We're leaving as soon as you're ready."

"What?" Ali replied, "no Mama, I don't want to leave!"

"What did you say?" came the reply.

"I… I want to stay here, where my friends are… Lara and Sarah and Avan and Cosette and Vine and Shorty. I like being here, I don't wanna go!" Ali replied, "I… I want to stay, because… they helped me realize… Vine and Shorty… they both have a lot of power, just like I do. If they wanted to, they could destroy everything around them, but… when I watched them in the forest a few months ago… they weren't trying to destroy anything. They were fighting… because they wanted to protect the people they were with, and… and that's how I want to fight too. I wanna use my power to protect! I don't wanna destroy anymore! I want to protect them and you! I wanna be able to protect you, Mama! That's why I want to stay, please Mama, can't we stay!" Clementia hesitated for a moment, which built up the hopes of everyone present, with the exception of Vine, who had already reached into his cloak for his Alchemy gloves. He stepped between Ali and Forester, pointing his gloved hand at Forester, just as she drew a pistol from her lab cloak and pointed it at Ali.

"A weapon that will not destroy is useless," Clementia declared as Cosette pulled Ali back and Karen and Ed stepped forward to just a short distance behind Vine, "move, I have no issue with killing all of you as well."

"Go ahead and fire," Vine taunted, "your bullet will never touch me, but by the time my blast finishes with you, there won't be enough left to bother with a burial."

"I'd do what he says," a voice from beside Clementia declared, startling her. She hadn't noticed Roy Mustang approach her and the Flame Alchemist now held his alchemy gloved hand to her head, "even if you did manage to get Vine somehow, you'd be dead before you could even think of firing another shot. Time to cut your losses and leave, Forester." Clementia looked disgusted, but put away her gun and turned to leave.

"I have no use for you anymore," Clementia declared as she glanced back at Aliasse, "go ahead and try to live a normal life. You'll find it to be impossible. You're not welcome with regular people, Aliasse."

"You're wrong," Vine declared, "Wherever we are, Aliasse will always be more then welcome. I'll tell you what I told you when you tried to take Alicia. She's not your tool, and you'll never touch her so long as I still breathe." Clementia and Vine glared angrily at one another for a moment, then Clementia turned and walked away. Vine lowered his hand as she left, he was certain, and thankful, that he'd never see her again.

"Mama? Wait… Mama! Don't go!" Ali pleaded as Clementia walked away. Vine's pleasure was replaced with a hint of sorrow.

"Oh Ali," Cosette said sympathetically, "what she did was wrong but, to you… she was still your mother."

"She wasn't a mother," Lara declared angrily as she looked over the ruined flowers, "a mother wouldn't do this to her daughter."

"Not much we can do to salvage this," Vine sighed, "what a mess. I'm sorry, Ali, I probably… could have at least been a little bit more sympathetic to your situation. I know you saw her as your mother, but you've got to realize now that your feeling's weren't mutual. I'm sorry."

"Can… can we just go eat now?" Ali asked. The sadness in her voice made it apparent that she was hurt, but she didn't want anyone else to hurt because of her, "I'm… I'm hungry."

"What do you think Vine?" Karen asked, walking over beside her big brother.

"I meant what I said," Vine replied, "Ali's welcome here. We'll still go get that ramen, because we've got to welcome a new member to Class G."

"What?" Ali replied, surprised by Vine's statement.

"You heard me, cadet," Vine declared, "as of right now, you're a student of Lanseal, and I'm placing you in Class G, is that understood?" He was pleased when Ali's surprised expression was replaced with a happy one.

"Y… yeah!" she shouted.

"You will say Yes Sir when addressing your commanding officer, Cadet!" Vine ordered.

"Oh… uh, yes sir?" Ali replied timidly.

"And you will never say yes sir when addressing me, is that understood?"

"Uhhh… you're weird."

"So I've been told."

"Enough already, let's go eat, I'm starving," Avan pleaded.

"That's nothing new," Ed declared.

"Avan is to hungry what Ed is to short," Vine declared.

"HEY! CUT IT OUT!" Ed shouted angrily.

"What've you gotten yourself into, Ali?" Karen asked as she looked down at the young Valkyria.

"I think it's gonna be lots of fun!" Ali replied, laughing happily as she followed after her new friends. Squad G had a new member.

**Ending Theme: Ray of Light (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"The rebel army has stepped up its efforts in the south."

"And why not, it's not like we can do much to stop them."

"I'm aware, Raging Blast, but that doesn't change the fact that we still have to do what we can to slow them down."

"I'm willing to bet you'll need a hand then."

"What's up, Welkin?"

**Next Time: A FRIENDS TIME OF NEED Squad 7 Reformed**

"I won't let one of my friends cry!"


	29. Chapter 29

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 27

A FRIENDS TIME OF NEED

Squad 7 Reformed

**Opening Theme: Golden Time Lover (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

It only took a couple of weeks for the campus to be repaired enough for classes to resume and to the surprise of the Alchemists, they hadn't lost many of their students.

"I'm not gonna lie," Vine declared, "I'm a bit surprised. I thought for sure that once news of what Kluivert had done got out, we'd lose have our forces to concerned parents." He was sitting in the campus grounds with Welkin and Ed taking a short break from repairing the remaining buildings to eat some of Alicia's fresh baked bread.

"I think we have you to thank for that," Welkin replied, "the alchemists victories against the rebels here in the south has gained you a lot of faith with Gallia's citizens. It's no wonder most of them trust you to take care of their kids."

"Maybe," Vine replied, "I'm sure having the legendary Flame Alchemist of Amestris acting as headmaster for the time being doesn't hurt at least. Hey speaking of kids, I heard that Julianna woke up last night. I didn't want to bother her, so I haven't gone to see her yet, but Zeri seemed relieved when I saw him this morning so I think it must be true."

"It is," Welkin replied, "she was actually walking around campus today helping with repairs. She may be only an artificial Valkyrur, but it looks like she has the Valkyrian healing ability. She doesn't look at all like she's been lying in a bed for the last two weeks in a coma."

"That's good to hear. I can't imagine what Zeri would have been like in classes if she hadn't woken up," Ed declared.

"Stop being proud, Fullmetal, and just admit you were worried about her. Welkin and I both said it," Vine ordered.

"Alright fine, I was worried about her, happy?"

"Better. Alright boys, I think break time's about over. These walls aren't gonna fix themselves," Vine sighed as he rose to his feet.

"I wouldn't worry about that just yet if I were you," a voice called from behind them. They turned to see Professor Brixham walking over to them. "Colonel Mustang wants to speak to you Vine, and he wants you to go as well, Welkin," Brixy revealed.

"Mustang wants to see us? Oh great. What did we do now?" Vine wondered as he stood up, "well, we'd better not keep the new 'headmaster' waiting. If you thought he was impatient before, I'll bet it gets even worse from here."

"You're probably right," Welkin admitted, chuckling as he stood up to follow Vine.

….

Meanwhile, across campus, several students were aiding with the repair work, among them, two members of Class G, a Darcsen girl, Mischlitt, and Vario.

"Wahoo! Seein everyone workin together like this just makes me want to sing a little tune. Any requests!" Vario shouted happily.

"Yeah, that you shut up," a class A member replied as Mischlitt tripped and bumped into him from behind.

"Oof, excuse me," Mischlitt apologized as she stood up and picked up her glasses.

"Ugh, watch where you're going, Dark Hair. Now I'm gonna have to shower to get the stink off," the boy retorted angrily.

"Hey, watch it pal, or you'll have to deal with me!" Vario shouted angrily as Mischlitt quietly put her glasses back on and went back to work.

"How can you stick up for a Dark Hair. It's their fault the rebels are fighting us! It's because of them that all of this happened!" the squad A boy shouted angrily.

"Cause she's from my class," Vario replied, "it's not their fault that the rebels are a bunch a idiots!"

"Whatever," a girl from Class C retorted, "you'd still have to be crazy to risk your life for a bunch of Dark Hairs. I heard the rebels started to attack another one of their settlements to the south of here. Louvere I think."

"Louvere?" Mischlitt repeated the name, her face showing a great deal of concern, "are you sure?"

"What's wrong? Thinking about sneaking off and going to save your kind? Good luck," the boy said tauntingly.

"That's enough," a familiar woman's voice called from behind them. The surprised students turned to see Julianna and Zeri standing behind them.

"Commander…" the boy said in surprise at the sight of his class chair.

"You're dismissed," Julianna declared angrily, pointing towards the class A dorms, "you can sit in your quarters until I tell you otherwise."

"Y… yes ma'am," the boy replied in defeat as he left. Julianna then turned her attention to the girl.

"I'd advise you to leave as well. Your class chair isn't as forgiving towards this sort of thing as I am," Julianna threatened.

"Y… yes ma'am," the girl replied timidly as she walked fearfully away.

"Mischlitt, what's wrong? Something about Louvere?" Vario asked, turning his attention to the still shaken Mischlitt.

"I have to go," she replied as she turned to leave.

"And what do you plan to do by yourself?" Julianna asked, "your home is no doubt under attack by an entire squad of rebel soldiers. You alone can't help them. You'll only get yourself killed."

"How did you…" Mischlitt began to ask, obviously surprised that Julianna had figured out that Louvere was her hometown.

"Hardins and the rest of your squad should be repairing their classroom now. Go find them," Julianna ordered.

"I'll go find Ed and the Colonel," Vario offered.

"Very well," Julianna replied, "then I'll meet you at your Squad's briefing room. I'd suggest you'd better be ready to move in 15 minutes. Louvere isn't far, but every minute we wait will only make things worse for them."

"Julianna?" Mischlitt gasped, surprised by Julianna's sudden actions.

"Come on Mischlitt, there's no time to waste," Zeri declared, "I won't stand to see my people killed off without a fight. Let's go."

"Right," Mischlitt replied, still a little shaken as she and Zeri headed for the classroom.

….

It only took 10 minutes for Class G to get ready and meet in the briefing room.

"Are we all here yet?" Avan asked, "we've gotta hurry. Mischlitt's home is in big trouble."

"Julianna said to wait for her, and Vario still hasn't gotten here with Ed and Vine," Cosette replied.

"I'm here," Julianna shouted as she walked through the door, dressed in her full battle gear and carrying her Fencer shield and sword over her back. I'm sorry, I couldn't find any volunteers from my squad to come with us. I'm afraid I can't offer much help, but I'll do what I can."

"Jules, you're coming with us?" Avan asked.

"I don't get it? What's the special occasion?" Zeri asked.

"Shut up," Julianna shouted back, her face suddenly turning very red, "I can help whoever I choose. I don't need a 'special occasion.'"

"Yahooooo! Vario is in the house!" Vario shouted as he burst into the room, ready for combat.

"Yahooo! Vario just shouted in my ear," Vine declared as he walked into the room, followed by Ed… and a fully combat equipped Welkin Gunther.

"Welkin? What're you doing here?" Avan asked.

"Orders," Welkin replied, "I was told that my squad is supposed to conduct a joint operation with Squad G to drive rebel forces out of the town of Louvere."

"Your Squad?" Avan asked.

"You heard him, buddy boy," Rosie replied as she and Largo walked through the door, also equipped and dressed in their military uniforms, "Squad 7 to be exact."

"Squad 7? I don't get it, I didn't think the militia was allowed to take action during internal conflicts," Zeri revealed.

"I don't recall saying anything about the militia," Rosie replied.

"It'd be more accurate to say that Squad 7 is part of a task force now. An Amestrian formed task force comprised of Gallian volunteers. It's a tactic Amestris has employed over the years for wars in Ishval and Creta. Orders just arrived from Fuhrer Bradley to use the same tactic here for dealing with the rebels. It's sort of a loophole in the whole no militia thing," Vine revealed, "now Gallia an organize a Militia under the guise of an Amestrian task force, which means we can finally build up the manpower to strike back at the rebels instead of just letting them do as they please."

"That's incredible!" Cosette shouted, "so we're really working with the squad 7!"

"Well, not the whole squad, yet anyway," Rosie replied, "Alicia's kinda on maternity leave, and a few other members haven't arrived yet, but most of us are here."

"They're all equipped and ready to move. We're just waitin on you kids," Largo declared impatiently, "so what's the hold up?"

"There isn't one!" Avan replied, "Squad G is ready to go, so let's stop wasting time already!"

"Fine with me. It's been way to long since I kicked some rebel butt," Vine declared, "I'll be taking command of this joint operation, since I have experience with both Squad 7 and Class G, so let's get going."

"Yes sir!" came a unanimous reply.

….

Louvere turned out to be a medium-sized mountain village and the townsfolk were all trying desperately to escape from the slowly advancing rebels. The rebels continued their advance, unaware that the joint unit of Squad 7 and Squad G had already surrounded them. Behind the enemy position, Welkin peered through his binoculars as he stood on the hatch of his tank, the Edelweiss. Next to him, Lavinia stood on top of the Isara's Dream while a group of Squad 7 and Class G stood awaiting orders.

"So the Dream's first field test is going to be alongside the original Isara's tank. Interesting bit of irony," Lavinia declared.

"Our enemy consists mostly of scouts and a few shocktroopers with Fencer support and a single command tank," Vine's voice called over the radio, "shouldn't be to much trouble. Let's get this operation underway."

"Got it," Welkin replied, "alright sevens, our objective is to drive the rebels out of Louvere. Let's save Mischlitt's home! Squad 7, move out!" he shouted as he and Lavinia both climbed into their tanks. "Bring's back memories, eh Zaka?" Welkin asked his tank driver.

"Sure does," Zaka replied, "let's do this. Edelweiss rolling out!" The Edelweiss began to move forward quickly, followed by the Dream.

"Alright, follow me kids!" Rosie ordered as she charged after the two tanks with a large force of the two squad's shocktroopers behind her.

….

On top of a large hill overlooking the town, Vine, Ed, and the remainder of the squad stood. They watched as the rebel command tank was reduced to scrap metal by the Edelweiss' first shot.

"Alright, let's go! Keep up if you can!" Vine ordered as he charged down the hill.

"Right!" Avan shouted as the others followed suit, "time for these rebels to go!"

The rebels were completely blindsided by the joint attack of the militia and lanseal squads and it took only minutes before the rebel line broke.

"It's a force from Lanseal! Where did they come from!" a rebel soldier shouted.

"I don't care," the rebel leader replied, "if they want to get in our way, kill them! Everyone get back in your positions!" As he gave his order, he grabbed a machine gun and slammed it down on top of a small sandbag wall. Shouldering the weapon, he pointed it at Zeri whose attention was drawn elsewhere. "Good night, Darcsen!" he shouted as Zeri spotted him to late. The man, however, was knocked off of his gun as a Sniper round shot into him, saving Zeri. On top of the hilltop, Nichol loaded another shell into his rifle.

"Not bad," a female sniper from Squad 7 declared as she shouldered her own weapon and aimed it. She adjusted her scope a bit and then pulled the trigger. The bullet slammed right into a grenade on a rebel soldiers belt, detonating it and taking out the entire group of rebels around that soldier, "but that's how you take down your prey," Marina declared as she looked down at Nichol, smiling proudly when she saw his astonished expression.

Down on the battlefield, the Nelson sisters had taken cover behind a low wall and were continuing to fire their assault rifles on the confused rebels.

"You've toughened up Annisette, and I don't just mean muscle," Edy declared as she took cover behind the wall to reload and Annisette took her place firing around the wall.

"I've still got a long ways to go, if I wanna catch up with you that is, Edy," Annisette replied.

"Well, just keep working hard and you'll be as great as me one day, little sister," Edy replied as she leaned out under Annisette and began to fire again as well.

Vine's sword cleaved through another soldiers gun and he used a crescent blast from it to knockout several more as Ed head cannonballs from a transmuted cannon crashed all around him, knocking out more rebels.

"If one of those hits me, Short Stuff, I'll make sure you never get any taller!" Vine shouted, swinging his sword up to cleave a cannonball that had been headed for him in half, "you did that on purpose!"

"Then stop calling me short!" Ed shouted in frustration.

"Whatever, Mischlitt! We have things under control here! Go find your family!" Vine ordered.

"Yes sir," Mischlitt replied as she left to follow Vine's order. It was only a few minutes before she arrived in front of her home. Worried, she burst through the front door.

"Mom! Mom, are you here!" she shouted. She froze when she ran into the living room and saw her mom sitting on the floor with two rebel Fencer's standing over her with their swords drawn.

"Mischlitt! Run!" her mother shouted desperately as the Fencers spotted her. Mischlitt tightened her grip on her shield and her hammer and prepared to fight.

"Look at this Dark Hair. She wants to fight us both," one of the man said arrogantly as he faced Mischlitt.

"She's nothing but a field technician," the other man said, "this should be easy." He charged at Mischlitt who barely managed to raise her shield to block the man's sword. "Let's see how much you can take, kid!" the man shouted as he began to swing violently as Mischlitt who was easily overwhelmed by his superior strength. She tried to swing her hammer at him, but it bounced harmlessly of his shield and he swung his sword, cutting a deep gash through her stomach. He then swung his shield, hitting her with a great deal of force and knocking her onto her back.

"Mischlitt!" her mother shouted desperately, trying to rise only to be pushed to the ground by the other man.

"Quiet Dark Hair," the man ordered, "we're gonna show your daughter what happens to Dark Hairs who stand up to us." As he spoke his partner walked over to the downed Mischlitt and placed his foot against her chest, pressing down on her ribs with all his weight and knocking the wind out of the defenseless Darcsen.

"So the only question is, how should I make her suffer," he said, smiling wickedly as he glared down at the frightened Mischlitt. He didn't get a chance to decide as he was suddenly mowed down by machine gun fire. Mischlitt and the man's partner looked to the doorway and saw Rosie standing inside the door, her weapon held at her hip.

"Why you!" the other man shouted charging at Rosie with his shield held up to intercept her fire. Rosie, however, didn't fire. Instead, a red beam of light shot past her, cutting through the shield and the man, dropping him instantly. Vine ran through the door and knelt down next to Mischlitt. After briefly checking her from injuries, he gently lifted her into the air.

"She's not seriously injured," Vine revealed as he handed her over to Rosie, "but have Cosette tend to that gash on her stomach. I'll get her mother and be right behind you."

"Got it," Rosie replied, carrying out the dazed Mischlitt while Vine returned to her mother.

"Are you hurt?" he asked as he knelt down beside her.

"I'm alright," the woman replied as she allowed Vine to help her to her feet, "how's my daughter."

"She'll be alright. I've got the best medic I know about to tend to her injuries," Vine replied, "I'm glad we got here when we did. Those guys looked like they meant business."

"They were monsters," Mischlitt's mom declared, "I can't imagine what they would have done to me and my daughter if you hadn't helped us. Are you… Colonel Vine by chance?"

"Huh? Yeah, I am," Vine replied, a little confused as to how the woman knew his name.

"My daughter talks about you in her letters home," the woman declared, "she says you like to walk around in a red cape, like some sort of hero. Thank you for protecting my daughter."

"Uhhhh… okay," Vine replied, obviously still a little confused, "you're… welcome."

Just then, Vine's radio buzzed and Welkin's voice was heard through it.

"Alright everyone! The rebels are retreating! Mission complete!" he shouted triumphantly.

"Well, there you have it. They'll think twice before they try a stunt like this again," Vine declared as he pulled out his radio. "Good work everyone. We've saved Mischlitt's home, and we've also sent the rebels a pretty clear message. They can't get rid of us that easily."

"Yeah! Alright everyone, Lanseal is back!" Avan shouted through the radio. The triumphant cheer that followed could be heard through all of Louvere.

**Ending Theme: Shunkan Sentimental (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"The rebels activity in the south has stalled. Looks like they weren't expecting Lanseal to rebound so quickly."

"I wish I shared your optimism, but our situation just got a lot worse."

"What do you mean?"

"Randgriz has fallen to the rebels and Arch Duchess Cordelia has been taken as a prisoner."

**Next Time: PATHS DIVIDE Til We Meet Again**

"We'll see each other again soon."


	30. Chapter 30

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 28

PATHS DIVIDE

Til We Meet Again

**Opening Theme: Golden Time Lover (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"Come on kids," Vine ordered as they continued to march through the woods on a training exercise, "anyone who doesn't beat me back to the school is gonna be giving me 20 laps around the school grounds in full gear!"

"Hey, that's not fair! I'm a star not an athlete!" Annisette shouted from the back of the group.

"At this rate, we'll all be joining you," Avan panted. The entire squad was apparently short on breath.

"Not all of you," Vine replied, looking ahead at where Aliasse was happily running ahead of them, "you guys are getting shown up by a little girl! You oughta be ashamed."

"She's a Valkyrur, that's not fair!" Avan replied.

"Sounds like a personal problem to me!" Vine replied, turning back to look at the rest of the squad. Unfortunately, he wasn't watching where he was going and tripped on a tree root and fell flat on his back. "Ouch!"

"He's down! Everyone, make for the school!" Avan ordered as the entire class charged past their downed commander, hoping to take advantage of his distraction to evade laps.

"I'm fine by the way, thanks for asking!" Vine shouted after them, "heh, smart kids."

"Heh, that was unusually uncoordinated for you," Largo declared coming up to Vine. He'd been following behind to make sure none of the cadets had fallen too far behind.

"Ah shut up," Vine replied as he pulled himself up, "those kids just got lucky is all."

"Right, so you gonna catch up with 'em?" Largo replied.

"Nah, I'll give 'em a break this time," Vine replied, "I feel like taking it easy for a bit anyway." The two began to walk towards the school.

"Did you hear the news? Looks like the rebels have stepped things up in Central Gallia," Largo revealed, "they're moving towards Randgriz."

"Darn it. I guess it took us to long to get back into the swing of things after the attack," Vine replied, "I thought the fact that we'd slowed them down here in the south was a good sign that we'd recovered fast enough to keep them pinned down here."

"That's how it looks. In fact some of the soldiers here in the south are starting to think that the reason they've been less active here in the south is that they don't have as much they need to accomplish anymore here. A lot of southern towns are already under their control. When you think about it, they've got the best strategic spots in the south already under their control," Largo declared, "What else do they need?"

"They need to be knocked down a level. I think I'll talk to Mustang about letting me round up a squad to take back some of those southern towns. We'll cut off the rebel army in the central regions and hit 'em where it hurts," Vine suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Largo replied, "I say we go for it."

"That doesn't surprise me," Vine declared, "hey by the way, what happened to the other 7 who was supposed to be with you?"

"She went ahead to keep an eye on the kids," Largo replied, "I think she…"

"COLONEL!" a frantic voice shouted suddenly.

"Uh oh, that didn't sound good," Largo declared.

"Oh boy, that's what I get for letting them run on ahead," Vine sighed as the two of them made for the voice. The source of the voice was a very teary eyed Annisette who was sitting in the dirt while a young Darcsen medic from Squad 7 wrapped bandages around her ankle. "So what happened?"

"What happened!" Annisette cried, "what do you think happened! My dancing career is ruined! I'll never become a star now!"

"Ah, it's not that bad," the medic, Nadine replied, "she just got her ankle stuck in a root and twisted it. I sent the others ahead."

"Oh brother, she's definitely Edy's sister," Largo sighed as Vine just chuckled.

….

"You're sure?" Mustang demanded of the young, darcsen woman who now stood in his office. She was dressed in a modified military uniform that had thicker armor over her shoulders and left arm.

"Yes sir," the woman replied.

"This is just what we needed," Mustang cursed, "Havoc, go get Vine, now!"

….

It took a little longer then Vine had hoped for him and the two sevens to get back to Lanseal while Vine carried the injured Annisette piggy back. The rest of squad G was waiting for them at the gate when they got back.

"Vine! How's Annisette!" Avan shouted when they came into view.

"Ah, she just twisted her ankle," Vine replied as he walked through the gate, "she'll be just fine."

"Wait, that's it? Man, the way she was crying when we left, I thought for sure it was something serious," Avan replied.

"Ooooooo! Shut up, Hardins! I don't wanna hear it from you!" Annisette shouted angrily.

"See, told ya she was fine," Vine replied, "alright, this is your stop," he declared as he lowered Annisette to the ground.

"She's just like her older sister," Nadine sighed, "remember that time in Kloden Wildwood?"

"I remember," Vine replied, "there wasn't anything wrong with Edy's ankle though, she just didn't want to have to walk all the way back to camp."

"You were the one who was gullible enough to believe her, so I wouldn't complain if I were you," Largo replied.

"Vine!" Havoc's voice called suddenly, getting Vine's attention as he ran up to the group, "Mustang needs to see you now. We just got some very bad news!"

….

"You've got to be kidding me," Vine hissed angrily as he read the reports from Randgriz.

"I'm afraid the reports have already been verified," Mustang replied, "Randgriz was invaded by a rebel division led by the Gassenarl family themselves. The city fell after only a couple of hours of fighting."

"What happened to the Arch-duchess?" Vine demanded.

"She's been taken hostage, along with her personal guard. They have her locked up in the dungeons beneath castle Randgriz," Mustang revealed, "the central army is trying desperately to retake the city, but it isn't going well."

"Of course not," Vine replied, "the central army is terribly undermanned, and what's worse is that most of their upper command is still the incompetent idiots Damon left behind after he died. Against competent commanders like Audrey and Baldren, they don't have a chance."

"Well, that's how it looks, doesn't it," Mustang declared, "so, when are you heading out?"

Vine hesitated for a moment before replying. "I'll head out as soon as the sevens are ready to go," he replied.

"What about Squad G?"

"They've still got Avan and Ed," Vine replied, "it'll be up to them from here on out."

"I see. You've got a lot of faith in those two. You realize that with how things are going, that means the two of them will be entirely responsible for almost everything that'll happen here in the south until Randgriz is retaken, right?" Mustang asked.

"They can handle it, I'm sure of it," Vine replied.

"Well then, you'd better get ready to go," Mustang ordered, "we can't allow the Randgriz family to hold the capital for long."

"Why do I get the feeling you haven't told me everything yet?" Vine asked.

"You remember Ambassador Townsend, I'm sure," Mustang replied.

"There's a name I won't forget anytime soon. He's the Gallian ambassador from the Federation. He's also the man who tried to kidnap Cordelia two years ago to force Gallia into an alliance with the Federation. What about him?" Vine replied.

"You ever wished you had run him through that day?" Mustang asked.

"Now and again, but you still haven't answered my question. What does he have to do with any of this?"

"Rumor has it that the Federation has been supplying Gilbert Gassenarl with most of his weapons and that in exchange, now that he's taken over Randgriz, he's going to turn Gallia over to the Federation," Mustang revealed.

"What!" Vine replied, "but I thought part of the point of this war was to gain Gallia's independence from Amestris. Why would he gain independence from one outside power just to hand Gallia over to another one?"

"It could be any number of reasons, honestly. Maybe he doesn't like Amestris' tolerance of Darcsens, maybe doesn't want Gallia under the control of an alchemy based nation, or it could be as simple as he's been promised a position of power within the Federation. I was actually hoping to hear your take on the situation," Mustang replied.

"I'm surprised," Vine replied, "but I don't think it'll happen. If Gilbert really does try to sell Gallia over to the Federation, then we'll likely hear of his death pretty soon. His son will kill him."

"His son? You mean Baldren? Do you really think Baldren Gassenarl would…" Mustang began to reply.

"I have no doubt about it. For Baldren, this war is to liberate Gallia from everyone he considers to be its 'invaders'. Darcsens, Amestris, and the Federation. He isn't going to allow his father to hand the country over to another would be 'invader'. It'd be an insult to his pride," Vine replied.

"He wants to cut all of Gallia's diplomatic ties?" Hughes asked in surprise, "does he really think even a country like Gallia will last long on its own? Without Amestris holding them at bay, it'd only be a matter of time before Gallia became little more than a scrap of meat for the Empire."

"Which is what gives us the advantage," Mustang replied with a smile, "if he's that determined to stand alone, then he's going to be weak. It'll give us exactly the chance we need to take him out?"

"He's no different from Prince Maximillian," Vine declared, "arrogant and over-confident. We'll have Archduchess Cordelia back on the throne by the end of next month, and I'll have either run the Gassenarls out of the country or into the ground. That's a promise."

"Not if you keep standing here," Mustang declared.

"Right then, wish me luck," Vine ordered as he turned and began to leave.

"Hold on, I'm not done yet," Mustang replied, "there's one more thing I need to inform you of. Your old squad is being reassigned to you, with the addition of a new Lieutenant to take Audrey Gassenarl's place. I think you'll want to meet her."

"Is she here?" Vine asked.

"She's the one who delivered the news to us," Mustang replied, "you can come in now!" he called to the door which opened behind Vine. Vine looked back to see a Darcsen woman with long hair that was tied in a ponytail with a long cloth baring Darcsen markings. Vine's eyes widened with surprise when he realized he knew the woman.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Vine declared, "they assigned you to me now? What's wrong, the army not giving the 422nd a call this time around?"

"The 422nd was disbanded after the war and all the 'criminals' of the Nameless were excused of their crimes. I decided to sign back up with the army when I found out a certain Colonel might have an opening for a good soldier."

"I've always got openings for good soldiers," Vine replied, "and no squad's complete without an Ace, right?"

"I'm not a number anymore," the girl replied, "you can call me Lieutenant Imca."

"I'll try to bear that in mind," Vine replied, smiling.

….

"So who's the new girl?" Ed asked as he, Al, and Vine walked through the grounds watching the members of Squad 7 prepare for their long march to Randgriz. He motioned to Imca as he spoke.

"Her name is Imca, though she usually prefers to either be called Ace or Number one," Vine replied, "she was part of a squad that my squads conducted joint operations with a couple of times during the last war. They were called the nameless because they'd all been accused of serious crimes by the Gallian military and forced to fight in the war to clear their names. The entire squad was recognized only by numbers and since Imca was their best soldier, she was given the number one."

"Okay, so what's she doing here?" Ed replied, "if that's true, then she should have had her name cleared and been released from duty when the empire was beaten, right?"

"I think so," Vine replied, "I'm not really sure what brought her here. I was under the impression that she'd decided to settle down in a small town somewhere in Gallia."

"Well if the kid hasn't lost her edge, I've got no gripe with having her along," Largo declared, "so what's this I've heard of your old squad getting back together?"

"They're already part of the operation at Randgriz. They're just waiting for us," Vine replied.

"So what's going to happen once you're there?" Ed asked, "are you taking command of the central army or just your old squad?"

"I'm in charge of my old squad and the volunteers for the Amestrian task force," Vine replied, "I'll let the army take care of itself. You know what this means, right Fullmetal. You're the equivalent of an Amestrian Major, which means you outrank Brixy. That makes you the highest ranking official for Squad G. You're in charge now."

"You're not telling me anything I don't know," Ed replied, "I'm looking forward to a bit of quiet without you around."

"I wouldn't count on it. Being in charge means you're in charge of conducting the squad's training drills and exercises, their operations, and most importantly, making sure none of them get killed. It's not easy, but I'm pretty sure I'm not telling you anything you don't know," Vine declared, "I'm sure you'll do just fine. You've got a good head on your shoulders, but I'm not going to lie to you. You're really going to need a heart of Fullmetal if you and your friends are gonna survive the next few months, but then again, I've got nothing to worry about. After all, you are the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Wow, did you just give me a compliment? Al you did write that down, right?" Ed asked.

"Shut up, don't make me regret putting my faith in you. Oh, and don't forget to take care of your class chair whenever you can. Avan may not be very bright, but he's got good instinct, and you've always got Julianna. When it comes to military tactics, she's second to none, and that includes me. Just make sure she doesn't try to play Valkyrur again."

"Speaking of Valkyrur, I don't see Alicia or Welkin anywhere," Al realized.

"I'm not taking the proud parents with me. They've got a kid to look after now, so they're staying with you. Take care of those two for me, alright. Make sure Welkin doesn't do anything too stupid."

"So is Welkin lending you the Edelweiss?" Ed asked.

"I'm working on our tank problem. I just found out that Zaka's tank the Shamrock, was decommissioned after the war, as was Squad 72s tank. Squad G needs the Dream, and I don't want to take the Edelweiss from Welks. I don't think we'll need a tank with me around, but I'd feel more comfortable if we had one," Vine revealed.

"What do you mean we have a tank problem?" Welkin called as he approached the group from behind. They were surprised to discover that he was in full uniform. "The Edelweiss is still operational. I can take command and Zaka can pilot it. It'll still hold up just fine against the rebels tanks."

"Wait, so you are going?" Ed asked, "what about your kid?"

"Alicia is staying behind, and Vine's sisters and Sarah will help her," Welkin replied, "I want to bring an end to this conflict so Isara can grow up in peace. Besides, I'm still Squad 7's Commander. I can't leave them to anyone else, even if it is you, Vine."

"Ouch, I think I was just insulted," Vine replied.

"That's not what I meant," Welkin replied defensively, "I just…"

"I'm just joking," Vine replied, "so is the rest of the family going to see us off?"

"I'd hope so," Ed replied, "who knows when you'll be back."

"Wait! Don't you dare leave yet!" they heard Avan shout suddenly. The alchemists and sevens watched as the members of Class G ran towards them with Alicia carrying Isara, Sarah, Karen, and Lara.

"So, it's true then. You're really going to Randgriz then," Zeri declared as he looked around at the prepping Sevens.

"Colonel, are you really leaving us?" Cosette asked.

"For a while. Someone's gotta drive the rebels down here again so we can finish the job, and the regular army just ain't gonna cut it. That means it's up to us," Vine replied.

"But you're coming back, right?" Annisette pleaded.

"Of course I'm coming back. What kind of question was that? This won't take long. I'll drive the Gassenarl's back south again and then we can finish what we started," Vine declared, giving the squad a confident thumb up, "now listen up, all of you. Until I get back, your taking orders from Fullmetal here. I know he's not as cool as I am, after all, he has no fashion sense and stands half my height," Vine declared.

"Hey!" Ed shouted angrily.

"But even so, I'm sure he'll be almost as good a leader as me, so just do what he says and you'll be alright," Vine finished.

"Yes sir," Avan replied, "and don't worry about things in the south. We'll keep things under control here while you're gone."

"I'm counting on it," Vine replied.

"Vine, maybe I should go with you," Aliasse suggested.

"Not a chance squirt. Our team'll have me around to do the heavy lifting. I need you to stay here and protect the others, alright. That's your job understand? You're to make sure that none of the other members of squad G get killed," Vine ordered.

"Uhh," Aliasse replied hesitantly, "yes sir."

"I can't hear you," Vine declared firmly.

"SIR, YES SIR!" Ali shouted as loudly as she could.

"That's better," Vine declared, "alright, are we ready yet?"

"Just waiting on you," Welkin replied.

"You two had better come back to us, you hear me," Alicia replied.

"Relax, Mrs. Gunther," Vine replied with a smile, "your husband'll be just fine."

"I was talking to you to," Alicia replied, "if you die, I'll never forgive you?"

"Oh, well you don't have to worry about that either. I can't afford to die just yet. Still have too much to do," Vine replied, "Lara, front and center."

"What is it, Brother?" Lara asked as she ran up to her brother who lifted her up into his arms.

"I'm counting on you, alright? Take care of your sister and Mrs. Alicia. Can you do that for me?" Vine asked.

"Yes sir!" Lara replied.

"That's my girl," Vine declared as he set the child down, "Karen, I'll be back as soon as I can. Keep an eye on things for me, alright?"

"I will, just don't do anything too stupid, please," Karen replied.

"I'll do my best, but don't forget who you're talking too here," Vine replied, "alright then. It's time to go."

"Be careful you guys!" Cosette shouted as Vine, Largo, and Welkin turned to join the prepping sevens.

"Edy, by the time you get back, I promise, I'll be just as strong as you are!" Annisette shouted to her sister.

"Stay safe, please, Annisette!" Edy shouted back, "I'll see you soon!"

"You don't have to worry about us! We'll hold down the fort!" Avan shouted.

"I don't doubt it," Vine replied, "alright, until we meet again, you guys!" he called as he waved a final farewell to his friends.

"Hey, good luck! You're gonna need it!" Ed shouted.

"I make my own luck, mouse!" Vine shouted back.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A MOUSE! DO I LOOK LIKE I LIKE CHEESE!"

"Everyone, please stay safe," Alicia prayed, "Isara, stay with them," she pleaded as a warm wind blew over the departing heroes and the allies who bade them farewell.

**Ending Theme: Shunkan Sentimental (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"Time to get busy guys. Our first step is to take back some towns around Randgriz to give the military a launching point to hit the capital."

"Of course they'd give the tough job to us."

"It may be tough, but failure isn't an option here."

"Colonel, we just received news from Randgriz."

"That can't be right."

**Next Time: End of a Revolutionary ARCHDUKE BALDREN RISES**

"He's named himself Archduke now, huh?"


	31. Chapter 31

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 28

END OF A REVOLUTIONARY

Archduke Baldren Rises

**Opening Theme: Golden Time Lover (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

Vine cracked his neck as he hopped out of the army truck. They had just arrived at the base of operations for the Gallian central army. "Ah man, I hate long drives," he sighed as he stretched his sore legs. He looked to his side as the Edelweiss rolled up alongside his truck followed by the trucks transporting the rest of Squad 7. As the squad exited their transports and began to set up in their new base of operations, Vine went to have a look around. The camp was small and not particularly well equipped. The shelters consisted of large tents which housed 10 or 15 soldiers a piece and there weren't enough of them. "Wow, so this is the operating base of the central army. I miss Lanseal already."

"Hey! Colonel, over here!" he heard a voice shout for him. He turned his attention to the source of the voice and discovered it to be a young girl with shoulder length blonde hair. He smiled when he saw her and she ran over to greet him.

"Corporal Nicole Bridgette, reporting for duty, sir," the girl declared, giving Vine an energetic salute.

"At ease, soldier," Vine ordered, "It's been a while, Nikki, I'm a little surprised to see you here. I thought you'd be busy fixing up your hometown after it got demolished during the war."

"Uhhh… well you see, I was, but now… I kinda don't have a hometown anymore," Nikki revealed rubbing the back of her head, "Rebels burnt the whole town to the ground trying to get at all the Darcsens living there. Not to worry though, Ralph and I were able to get all of the townsfolk evacuated safely to the neighboring towns. No one was killed, but there isn't much to fix."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't hear about that," Vine replied apologetically.

"Don't worry about it," a male voice declared as a young boy with short hair that was as blonde as Nikki's walked up behind her. Vine remembered him to be Ralph Bridgette, Nikki's older brother and fellow member of Squad 72, "place was a dump anyway, now we can build it bigger and better then it was before."

"Heh, I see you haven't changed much. As optimistic as ever, eh, Ralphy?" Vine declared, chuckling a bit.

"I don't know about that. It's hard to stay optimistic when the squad are all talking about a rather disturbing rumor," Ralph declared.

"Oh, and what rumor would that be?" Vine asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew.

"They're saying that Commander Audrey has defected and is fighting for the rebels," Ralph declared, "any truth to that?"

"Oh, are you still going on about that, Ralph?" Nikki asked in annoyance, "I told you, there's no way Commander Audrey would turn on us. She'd…"

"Actually kid, it's true," Vine declared before Nikki could continue her defense of the Gassenarl sister, "Audrey has taken over as third in command of the Gassenarl's revolutionary army. There's a good chance that she's in Randgriz right now enjoying their temporary victory."

"What!?" Nikki exclaimed, a mixture of shock and dismay showing on her face.

"So it is true then, dang it, I can't believe that the commander of all people would be part of this. So, what do we do?" Ralph asked.

"Maybe her father and brother are making her, maybe we can…" Nikki began to protest.

"Come on Nik, you're not a kid anymore, time to stop being so naïve. I know how much you looked up to Commander Audrey, but you can't honestly think that she'd do something like this just because her father and brother told her to," Ralph declared, "I don't get it though, I mean, this whole war is about Darcsen eradication, but Commander Audrey never showed any prejudice towards Darcsens. She was always as good to the 3 Darcsens in our squad as she was to the rest of us. I guess she was just a really good actor."

"Well, I think it might actually be my fault," Vine declared.

"Oh brother, here we go," Ralph sighed in frustration.

"Huh?" Vine replied.

"A member of my last squad got shot, it's my fault, The Imperial Valkyrur blew herself to kingdom come, that was my fault too. Children in the Empire starve to death because the emperor steals all their food to feed his fat gut, somehow that's my fault too," Nikki sighed, "what's next? World Hunger, or are you just planning to go straight for cancer?"

"Uhhh…" Vine replied, obviously a bit surprised by their response, "this time is different."

"Right, like it was different when Selvaria died," Ralph declared, "alright, what makes this time so much different?"

"I encountered Audrey in Yuell," Vine declared, "when I encountered her there, the way she acted made me think that she's a part of this war so that she can get a chance to kill me. I think she might be sore about my deception during the war."

"But you didn't have a choice, that was Damon's fault," Ralph declared, "Commander Audrey knew that. That's got nothing to do with it, I'm sure. Think about it, she is a yggdist after all, I'll bet you money that she was acting the whole time and just biding her time until she had a chance to show her true colors."

"How can you say that?" Nikki asked, "Audrey didn't…"

"Come on Nik, think about it. Nothing else makes sense. She's a Gassenarl. We'd be fools to expect anything different from her," Ralph declared.

"Alright you two, that's enough," Vine ordered, "that's not important right now. What's important right now is getting central Gallia out of rebel control and ending this useless civil war. Where's the rest of the squad?"

"The squad is gathering near our quarters. We sharing with the Amestrian Task Force, but we don't have enough room for everyone. This camp just doesn't have enough provisions to provide for a whole army."

"I'm working on that," Vine revealed, "don't worry. With a little luck, we'll all have a bed to sleep in and a roof over our heads by tomorrow night."

"I'm interested in seeing how you plan to pull that off," Ralph declared, "but I've seen you pull off to much to start doubting you now."

"Good man," Vine declared smiling, "now, let's go join the others."

….

"Hey, Zaka, how's the old Edelweiss?" Vine asked as he and his two squad members approached the section of the camp where his squad and the Amestrian task force had set up.

"Well, it'll function," Zaka replied, "needless to say, Welkin hasn't been keeping up its maintenance so it's not in perfect shape, but it'll do its job."

"Not in 'perfect shape' you say?" an old man declared as he began to walk towards the Edelweiss.

"Uh oh," Ralph declared, "Old Man Lane is on the move." The man was Balwin Lane and he was the engineer and former tank pilot of Squad 72, and Vine sighed a bit at the sight of him.

"I thought that old perv retired," Nikki sighed sadly.

"He was supposed to," Vine declared, "we may be Squad 72, but that doesn't mean you can stay in the squad until you're 72 years old."

"Is he really that old?" Nikki asked.

"No, he's in his late 60s," Ralph sighed, "you'd never guess by watching him though."

"Ah, good to see you Colonel," Balwin declared as he spotted the Colonel, "I understand you've been at Lanseal, correct? Then you must have met my granddaughter. She's a mechanic there."

"Your Granddaughter?" Vine replied, obviously surprised.

"That's right, my dear little Lavinia works for Lanseal now. I think you'd like her, she's quite a looker if I do say so myself," the man declared.

"WHAT!?" Vine exclaimed, "no way, Lavinia is your granddaughter!? As in Class G's tank pilot Lavinia? Oh man, I never would have guessed. I just don't see it, I mean even if you do have the same last name, you don't look or act anything alike."

"Yes, she takes after her grandmother," Balwin declared.

"Good thing, I don't think I could handle two perv tank pilots," Nikki declared.

"What was that Nicole?" Balwin asked, "oh, by the way, if you're interested, you'll never guess which one of my Squad 72 series Tank Stickers has turned out to be my best seller. You're apparently even more popular than Ms. Audrey, little Nicole."

"You didn't..." Nikki stuttered, freezing with horror, "you freak! I'm gonna kill you!" she shouted as she charged at Balwin.

"Now now," Balwin declared as he bolted away from the enraged young woman, "it's just business, no hard feelings, Ms. Nicole."

"Stickers?" Welkin asked curiously, having overheard the conversation.

"Tank stickers are a large emblem that are placed on both sides of the gun turrets on tanks," Vine revealed, "the Edelweiss actually has one, though like any other tank from EWII or before, it only has a Gallian flag sticker on it. After the war, Gallia's army switched to using more customizable tanks, and when that happened, the army decided to allow the individual tank pilots to use their own customized stickers for their tanks decoration."

"Balwin's made his living since the war, producing those stickers. Apparantly, his stickers are pretty popular with male tank pilots," Ralph sighed.

"Why's that?" Welkin asked.

"Uh, better that you not get an answer to that question," Vine declared.

"Oh… uhh okay," Welkin replied, apparently confused.

"Now, I believe you were saying your tank needed some maintenance," Balwin declared as he returned to the group with a massive goose-egg on top of his head. "I'll take a look at it and see what I can do, although, Mr. Gunther, what would you say to purchasing a new sticker for your tank, eh? I can apply it for you while I do the maintan…" He was silenced as Vine hit him on top of the head.

"You're going to see what you can do to get the Edelweiss in perfect working order, and if I see one of your disgusting stickers anywhere on it when you're done, I'm going to break your neck, got it," Vine threatened.

"Y… yes sir," Balwin replied, "I'll get right to work."

"Man, and I thought Class G was full of nuts," Largo declared as Vine and Ralph both sighed in embarrassment.

….

Meanwhile at Castle Randgriz, Audrey and Baldren were walking together through the hallway of the palace towards the audience chamber to meet their father. Their father was planning to announce himself as Archduke that day and had sent for his children as he prepared for the announcement. As they entered the chamber, Baldren's expression suddenly became extremely unpleasant. Standing next to his father who was sitting on the Archduchess' throne, was a man with white hair and a white beard and mustache wearing white and red clothing that looked expensive, Ambassador Jean Townshend of the Atlantic Federation.

"You sent for us, father?" Audrey asked.

"Ah there you two are," Gilbert replied at the sight of his two children, "my children, at long last all of our hard work has paid off. Randgriz is ours and Gallia with it. The hour of our victory has come."

"You're celebrating too early Father," Baldren hissed angrily, "Randgriz may have fallen, but the revolution is far from over. So long as the alchemists and the Darcsens have yet to be wiped from Gallia's lands, we're far from victorious."

"The alchemists will be gone soon enough, I can assure you," Townshend declared, "once Gallia's annexation into the Federation is complete, Amestris will cease to have authority here and the Alchemists will leave, however, I must insist that the Darcsen purges cease, they simply lack any public support."

"Yes I see," Gilbert replied, "very well, I suppose that…"

"What!? What do you mean by Gallia's annexation into the Federation!?" Baldren shouted suddenly and angrily.

"Hold on, you're Ambassador Townshend," Audrey realized, "you're the man who attempted to kidnap Princess Cordelia during the war in order to force Gallia into an alliance, but your plot was foiled by Colonel Vine and the militia. Father, why is this man…"

"Silence, both of you," Gilbert ordered angrily, "you can't afford to be naïve here. Clinging to independence will only destroy Gallia. I'm only doing what I must to assure Gallia's survival."

"Assure Gallia's survival!?" Baldren shouted angrily, "by allowing it to be dissolved into the Federation!? You'll destroy everything we've worked for! Was all your talk of revolution and a free Gallia only a lie!?"

"You ignorant pup? You can't afford to be so blind, Baldren. Did what happened two years ago really not open your eyes to the facts? Gallia is a tiny nation surrounded by giants on all sides."

"But Father, we defeated the Empire once before, we…" Audrey began to protest.

"Of course we did," Gilbert replied mockingly, "we defied the Imperials once, through the so called heroism of a Darcsen/Alchemist and a country fool who'd rather stare at an ant all day then serve his land. Gallia can't be left to the whims of such so called 'heroes'. No, what Gallia needs now is political power, which it can only gain through an alliance with a stronger nation."

"Father, I beg you to reconsider," Baldren pleaded.

"I won't, and I'd advise you to open your eyes my foolish son. The path you'd seek to take Gallia down can only end in its destruction."

"Open my eyes!?" Baldren shouted angrily, "you are the one who has shut your eyes, Father, and in so doing, you've betrayed everything you've stood for. You've left me with no choice," he declared as he reached to his belt and drew his sidearm.

….

"Alright, so here's the plan," Vine declared the next day as his forces gathered around him, "we need more supplies and more space to operate any sort of campaign to take back the capital, which means we need to take back the army bases. There are three in particular that we can easily reach, take, and hold, so all we have to do is pick one and make the rebels there wish they'd never been born. I'd suggest that we…"

"Colonel!" Imca shouted suddenly as she ran to join the group.

"You're late, Ace," Vine declared, "what's wrong?"

"You're gonna want to have a look at this," she declared holding up a newspaper she was carrying which Vine took.

"Ah come on, Ace, you know I'm allergic… to newsprint," Vine began to joke, but stuttered as he looked at the front page article, "no way."

"What does it say, Vine?" Welkin asked.

"It says that Gilbert Gassenarl was killed by Loyalist forces in a skirmish in the capital yesterday," Vine revealed, "Baldren's taken over command of the GRA and has proclaimed himself Archduke. Apparently, the Atlantic Federation has given their approval for the change in power as well. This can't be right."

"I doubt it is," Imca declared, "I guess your hunch was right."

"I guess so," Vine replied, "Archduke Baldren Gassenarl. That leaves a sour taste in my mouth just saying it."

"So what do we do now?" Welkin asked.

"You have to ask," Vine replied, "we knock the archduke off his throne."

**Ending Theme: Shunkan Sentimental (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"I can't believe Vine's really been gone for a week already."

"Ah good riddance, he was starting to get on my nerves."

"Avan, Edward, I've got some bad news."

"What's wrong, Brixy?"

**Next Time: A Failed Escort RESCUE SQUAD G**

"We've gotta hurry or they won't last long."


	32. Chapter 32

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 28

**A FAILED ESCORT**

**Rescue Squad G**

**Opening Theme: Golden Time Lover (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

Back at Lanseal, news of the new Archdukes rise to the throne had spread like wild fire, but few students seemed to have been dramatically affected by the revelation, as news had also been received that Raging Blast and the Amestrian task force had already arrived in the central region to begin the operation to overthrow the Gassenarls. Avan lay in the soft grass of the Academy courtyard, enjoying the warm autumn air. He knew it wouldn't be warm much longer as winter was quickly approaching. The Gallian civil war had already lasted for a full month longer then the Imperial invasion, and it seemed extremely likely that the war would start into a second year before it was over.

"Hey! Hardins, get off your lazy butt!" Ed suddenly shouted irately, causing Avan to rise to his seat.

"Ahh, what's the deal, Ed. I was just about asleep," Avan moaned.

"We've got trouble," the Fullmetal Alchemist replied, "Brixy's looking for us, and he seemed pretty upset. I get the feeling that whatever he wants us for, it's important."

"Oh man, I bet he's just going to cuss me out for how I did on midterms last week," Avan sighed in reply.

"Look at the bright side," Ed replied, "you already set the lowest standard you could with that negative 10, so it can't get much worse."

"Shut up," Avan moaned in dismay, "fine, we'd better go see what Brixy wants." With a loud groan, Avan rose to his feet and the two headed back to the Academy.

….

Brixy was talking on the military radio when the two arrived at the Briefing Room.

"You're sure," he asked into the radio.

"Positive sir," came a reply.

"Thank you for the information, I have to go now," Brixy replied as he turned off the radio.

"What was that about, Brixy?" Avan asked as Professor Brixham turned to face them.

"That was regarding your next mission, Avan," Brixham replied, "about a month before the attack on Lanseal, a small farming town was taken by the rebels. That town is now being used as part of a large supply line for rebel forces in the central regions, including the Randgriz occupational forces. Colonel Mustang believes that if we were to wrest the town out of rebel control, we could strike a major blow against their forces in Randgriz, making it easier for the central forces to retake the capital."

"That's it?" Ed asked, "geez, the way you sounded earlier, I thought for sure it was going to be something harder, but this sounds pretty straight forward. Shouldn't be anything we can't handle."

"Perhaps," Brixy replied, "given Class G's track record, this mission certainly doesn't seem like it would be too difficult, or at least, that's what I thought. I'm afraid I've made a costly judgment error that is going to greatly complicate our situation."

"You messed up? This I gotta hear," Avan declared, grinning mischievously.

"Smile while you can Avan, because you won't be smiling after you hear what I have to say. Like you two, I also assumed that the mission would not be overly difficult, so rather than assign the entire squad to the mission, I elected to attempt a more subtle approach. I assigned France, Marion, Nichol, Alexis, and Cosette to a scouting team and sent them out to survey the situation so we could more easily determine how to proceed, however, I've yet to hear back from them," Brixy replied.

"Uh oh, you don't think something's happened, do you?" Avan asked, his earlier pleasure had quickly been replaced with worry. 

"I'm afraid so," Brixy replied, "I just received a report from some of our forces. They confirmed that the rebels in the village have taken five of our students as hostages and one of them appeared to be rather severely injured. Based on the description they gave, I can only assume that the injured person was Nichol. They've threatened to kill all five hostages if the Gallian army attempts to move against them in the town."

"Okay, well that definitely complicates things," Ed declared, sighing in annoyance, "so what do we do now?"

"To be honest, I don't know," Brixy replied, "if we aren't extremely careful, then we're going to lose five of our squad mates. If Colonel Vine were here, he likely would have advised a stealth mission to rescue to captives before our main force attacked the village, however, Colonel Vine was also the only member of our squad who could have carried out a mission like that, and without him, I doubt that any of the other members of our squad could infiltrate the enemy line without being discovered."

"I'd have to argue against that," Ed replied confidently, "alright, here's the plan…"

….

It didn't take long for Ed to have explained his plan and soon, Squad G was preparing to head to the village to commence the risky operation.

"You're sure this will work?" Zeri asked, "because if it doesn't, we're going to lose Cosette and the others."

"It's the only choice we've got," Avan replied, "if we try to just attack them head on, then Cosette's dead anyway. At least Ed's plan gives us a shot."

"I can't believe this is happening," Annisette declared, "did the professor say anything about Nichol's condition."

"All we know about it is that he's hurt," Rene replied, "I hope he'll be alright."

"He'll be fine," Reiner replied, "Nichol's stronger then he looks. I'm sure he'll make it."

"Not if we screw this up," Noel declared, "we've never had a mission where we had so much on the line."

"They're going to be just fine," Ed declared, "just do exactly what I say and we'll pull this off."

"Man, this couldn't have been timed worse. Right when we need him the most, the Colonel is half the length of Gallia away," Joachim groaned, "talk about bad luck."

"Oh come on, you act like this is the first time we've been on our own," Ed declared, "that loud mouth isn't the only one who can carry out a stealth mission."

"Ed's right. After all, he's got a height advantage, since he's so small, he can hide in places Vine wouldn't be able to fit," Avan declared, smiling.

"DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!" Ed shouted angrily.

"What? It was a compliment," Avan declared.

"Yeah right, I don't believe you!"

"Shake a leg everyone!" Julianna ordered suddenly as she burst into the briefing room in her full combat gear.

"Julianna? What're you doing here?" Avan asked.

"What do you think I'm going here?" Julianna replied mater-of-factly, "the better question if why are you all still dawdling. If the reports about Nichol being injured are true, then every moment we wait here will only make his situation worse. If you're finished planning, then we need to move out."

"When did you become part of Class G?" Ed asked.

"I didn't, but I'm still the Class Chair of Class A, Lanseal's elite. As such, it's my responsibility to see to the safety of all the students of the school."

"'Lanseal's elite' huh? You're still calling yourself that even after Vine and Ed proved that all Class A really was was the top candidates for turning into Valkyria?" Avan asked.

"Be quiet Hardins!" Julianna shouted angrily.

"Whoops, I think I struck a nerve."

….

The village wasn't far from Lanseal, and soon Avan was laying on a hilltop looking through a pair of binoculars at the village below.

"Looks like they've got a whole squad or more patrolling the village," Avan whispered into his wireless.

"I'm not surprised, as important as this location is to them," Ed's voice whispered back, "can you see Cosette and the others?"

"I don't have a visual on the actual hostages," Julianna suddenly whispered through the radio, "but three guards have been standing in front of a small storage shed for the better part of the hour we've been watching them. I'm willing to bet there's something in that shed that's worth guarding."

"Probably a safe bet," Zeri replied, "the rest of us are set up on the north side of the town, Elric. We're ready to move as soon as Cosette and the others are safe."

"I'm gonna head to the warehouse first," Ed declared as he climbed out of a small ditch he'd been hiding with. He was only clad in his black jacket, vest and pants, and wore a pair of black gloves and a black hood to help him blend in with the night, "I'll let you know what I find. Commencing operation, so stay off the radio until you hear back from me."

….

The night air was still as the Fullmetal Alchemist quietly snuck through the streets of the small village, making his way towards his target. Before long, he knelt silently in an alleyway looking out at the storage shed. Sure enough, the three guards were still standing watch over the building's only door.

"If I were holding prisoners, that's definitely where'd I keep them. Only one way in and one way out, unless of course you happen to be an alchemist," Ed declared as he began to make his way to the back of the structure.

….

Climbing to the roof, Ed transmuted a small trapdoor which he used to drop silently into the shed. The walls of the shed were lined with pitchforks and other farming tools, but it was the five sacks that lay across the ground that caught Ed's attention. The bags were all full of something, and Fullmetal doubted that it was wheat. Moving silently to one of the bags, he lifted it up and opened it. He was surprised when Cosette's head suddenly stuck out of the bag. She was gagged so she couldn't say anything, but her eyes widened with surprise and panic when she saw the masked Edward standing over her.

"Easy Cosette," Ed whispered pulling off the mask. Cosette's eyes quickly changed to show her relief as Ed pulled off the gag, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Cosette whispered back, "is Nichol alright?" Just then, three of the remaining bags began to struggle. Ed knew that Marion, Alexis, and Franca must have heard him, but he began to panic when the final bag didn't move at all.

"Darn it Nichol, you'd better not have died on me," Ed threatened as he rushed to the unmoving back and opened it. Nichol was inside and it took a moment for Ed to pull the bag off of him. Transmuting his automail blade, he cut the ropes that had been used to bind the boy. The fact that the rebels hadn't bothered to gag Nichol, told Ed that the young Class G student had probably been unconscious for a while, but thankfully, he was still breathing. Ed tried to locate the wound and quickly found a deep bullet wound on Nichol's side. It was a miracle he hadn't bled to death yet.

"Ed," Cosette whispered, "they put our gear in a bag on the wall. Get my ragnaid and untie me. Nichol doesn't have a lot of time left." Ed quickly followed Cosette's order and while the medic tended to Nichol, Ed untied Franca, Alexis, and Marion.

"It's about time," Franca gasped as her gag was removed, "what kept you Elric?"

"Glad to see you too, Franca," Ed replied.

"How's my little brother?" Franca demanded.

"He'll be fine, but we need to get him out of here," Cosette replied.

"Not yet, it'll be too dangerous to move him just yet," Ed declared as he transmuted a trap door under the ground which he lifted up to reveal a large cellar that he'd transmuted, "Cosette, you and Nichol get inside and keep treating him. The rest of you, grab your gear and get ready." Once Nichol and Cosette were safely hidden under the floor and Marion, Franca, and Alexis had gathered their weapons and gear, Ed grabbed his wireless.

"I've got 'em," he declared, "your turn, Zeri."

….

"You don't have to tell me twice," Zeri replied, "Lavinia, let loose!"

"Get it!" Lavinia declared as she turned the barrel of the Dream towards the village and opened fire. The explosion rocked the entire village as Class G began its charge.

"The civilians were evacuated to a neighboring town before the rebels arrived, so everyone here is a hostile," Zeri declared, "take them all out!"

"We're under attack!" one of the three guards declared, "grab the hostages," he ordered as the stepped in front of the wooden door. As they did, three gunshots fired through the door, taking them out. Franca burst quickly through the door followed by Marion and the two shocktroopers quickly mowed down three more rebels who were gathering to the area. A fourth ran up behind them and prepared to shoot them in the back with a rifle, but Alexis stepped out and intercepted his fire with her shield allowing Franca to fire around her and take out the Rebel Scout.

"Link back up with Avan and the others," Ed ordered as he charged past them, "I'm gonna find who's in charge here and take him down!"

"Got it!" Franca replied as the three class G members left to join the rest of their squad and Ed headed down a back alley. It didn't take him long to find the building that was likely being used as the Rebel stronghold.

"Ten guards around the building, huh?" Ed snickered as he clapped his hands together, "they're almost making this too easy."

….

Inside the building, the Rebel Commander had just been notified about the attack.

"This is a surprisingly cold move for Lanseal, disregarding the safety of its own students just to take back one town. Non-Darcsen students at that. No matter, if that's how they feel, then let them see the consequences of their actions. Take the prisoners out to the front lines and execute all five of them. That'll send a clear message to Lanseal," he ordered.

"Yes sir," the man replied, beginning to leave the room. He didn't make it, however, as Ed suddenly crashed in through the roof and landed right on top of him, knocking him unconscious.

"That's not gonna work!" Ed declared as he ran forward as the commander grabbed his sidearm. Just as the commander pointed the pistol at Ed, Fullmetal slammed his right pointer finger into the barrel of the gun. The commander pulled the trigger, blowing the glove off of Ed's automail hand and causing the gun to explode back into the commander's face. As he yelled with pain, Ed slammed his steel fist into the man's stomach, knocking him unconscious. "There, that should just about wrap this up," Ed declared as he grabbed the unconscious rebel.

Sure enough, with their chain of command broken and their hostages freed, it wasn't long before the remaining rebels had surrendered. As Lanseal forces rounded up the prisoners-of-war and Nichol was loaded into a medical truck to be returned to Lanseal, Ed rejoined Avan and Zeri.

"Not bad, I'll admit, I had my doubts, but I'd have to say you more than proved me wrong," Zeri admitted.

"I still can't believe you doubted me. I am the Fullmetal Alchemist, after all. Who needs that loud mouthed Raging Blast Alchemist when you've got me around?" Ed said arrogantly.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Fullmetal," a familiar voice declared. The young heroes looked up to see Colonel Mustang approaching them.

"Colonel, you came too?" Avan asked.

"I just arrived with the support team. I wanted to make sure everything went smoothly. Now, as for you Fullmetal, it's a good thing you feel so strongly about not needing Raging Blast anymore. After all, since he's not here, you are the highest ranking member of Squad G. That means that all the reports he used to fill out after a mission."

"Reports?" Ed repeated, suddenly acting far less cocky.

"I expect a full debriefing on my desk by midnight tonight Fullmetal. You might want to get writing as soon as you get back to the Academy," Mustang ordered, waving casually as he walked away.

"NO WAY! I DIDN'T KNOW NOT HAVING THAT LOUD MOUTH AROUND MEANT I WAS GONNA HAVE TO DO ALL HIS PAPERWORK! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Ed shouted is dismay.

"Ahh, look, Ed misses Vine now too," Cosette said, giggling a bit.

"I'd have to say that's a bit of poetic justice," Zeri declared.

"Hey, as long as I'm not the one filling out reports, I could care less," Avan declared as the group prepared to return to Lanseal.

**Ending Theme: Shunkan Sentimental (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"Alright, based on my information, here's what we need to do."

"Alright, I know you're crazy, but how do you expect us to hit three targets at once?"

"Easy, Squad 72 will take target one, Welks, you and the 7s take target 2."

"So who's going to take the 3rd?"

**Next Time: Gallia's Heroes Unite RETURN OF THE NAMELESS**

"Those jokers? You gotta be kidding me."


	33. Chapter 33

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 29

**GALLIA'S HEROES UNITE**

**Return of the Nameless**

**Opening Theme: Golden Time Lover (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

Within a day of the Amestrian task forces arrival, the central army had managed to retake a larger Gallian city which they were now using as a base of operations. The battles so far had been relatively simple, but Vine knew as he sat looking at his tactical map that it wasn't going to last.

"Yuell, Vassel, and Ceall. We really couldn't ask for a much worse position. Even the Empire never managed to control all three cities simultaneously. Add Randgriz to the mix and the Rebels situation is ideal. Whichever city we choose to attack, we'll be faced with reinforcements from one of the other cities before we have a prayer of taking the one we choose to attack. I'd hate to say it, but we have no choice, we're gonna have to attack all 3 locations simultaneously," he said to himself.

"That's your plan?" a voice called from the door of the room. He realized that Imca was at the door, "you're going to divide up our already dwindling forces and try to take three major rebel strongholds simultaneously?"

"Hey, Lanseal drove the rebels out of Yuell once already. If the central army could do squat we wouldn't be in this mess," Vine replied, "but you're not wrong. This plan has only a slightly better chance of succeeding then only attacking one of the targets. Any way you look at it, we're in trouble."

"Can we get more support from Amestris, or for the Task Force?" Imca inquired.

"Thought of that," Vine replied, "It'd work if time weren't working against us. The army hasn't exactly given us a lot of time to get Randgriz back under Gallian control. We can't afford to wait long for reinforcements."

"Maybe attacking two of the locations? At least that way, we have more troops to work with and it still only leaves them with one location to reinforce their troops from," Imca suggested.

"Hmm, we could have the Sevens lead one of the attack forces while we take command of the other, but which two too… wait, seven… seven… SEVEN! That's it! Ace, you're a genius!" Vine shouted as he ran out of the room.

"Huh?" Imca replied in obvious confusion.

….

A few hours later, Vine had gathered the forces under his command together and was briefing them on the plan.

"Alright, this mission isn't going to be easy, but it's the best chance we've got at pulling off the task at hand," Vine shouted loudly to his soldiers, "as most of you know, during the Imperial invasion, there were three major city that suffered a large number of battles. Those towns were Vasel, Yuell, and Ceall. The reasons are obvious. Yuell controls the most direct supply route from Randgriz to Southern Gallia, Vasel controls the only land route that has access to Randgriz in the Vasel Bridge, and Ceall is an easily defended natural fortress due to the high cliff walls that surround the city on all sides. The city can only be directly approached from one direction, making it one of the most easily defended positions in Gallia. Add to that the fact that all three cities are within easy reinforcement range not only of Randgriz, but of each other as well and it becomes painfully clear that whoever controls these three cities controls the war. The Empire knew this during their invasion and tried desperately to gain control of all three cities, however, through the combined efforts of the militia and army, we were able to prevent them from ever controlling more than one of the cities at a time. Unfortunately, that's not the case this time. The Rebels control all three cities as well as Randgriz, which is going to make routing them difficult at best. If we want a shot, we need to rout them from all three of these cities, and if we don't want to find ourselves getting shot in the back, we need to take all 3 simultaneously."

"Whoa, hold on, Raging Blast. You're planning to divide our forces in order to attack three different locations? Do we have enough men for that?" Largo asked.

"During Operation Cloudburst, Squad 7 was able to drive the Imperial Alliance from Vassel using only one squad. They're familiar with the city and with tactics to gain the upper hand in the city." Welkin revealed.

"Which is why I'm putting Lt. Gunther in charge of the Vassel operation. It was his careful planning and brilliant strategy that won Operation Cloudburst less than 24 hours after the Militia's arrival in the city," Vine declared, "Ceall is also not as problematic as it first appears to be. When it was held by the Imperial Alliance during EWII, I was assigned as Captain over a joint-squad operation between Militia Squad 7 and Army Squad 422 to liberate the city as a replacement for my State Alchemist Initiation Exam. The walls around the city are both its greatest strengths, and in the hand of a cunning strategist, their worst enemy. What's more, since the Rebels forced the civilians in the city out of their homes, we've got nothing to worry about for civilian casualties like we did during the invasion."

"That only leaves Yuell," Edy declared, "we've been there just recently."

"Yeah," Vine replied, scowling, "Cosette's home. The city is in ruins after Audrey's attack, but that doesn't make it any less valuable. During the war, the city fell into Imperial hands late in the war. The task of freeing it fell to army squads 72 and 422."

"Your Squad," Largo declared, "add Lanseal's battle against Audrey in the city a few months ago and you're perfect to lead the operation to retake it."

"Too bad your forces who attack Ceall'll get massacred without an alchemist to get 'em around the cities defenses," Rosie reminded them, "what's the plan for dealing with Yuell."

"Squad 72 aren't the only ones with experience fighting in Yuell," Vine replied.

"Squad 422?" Largo replied, "don't know if you knew this, Raging Blast, but that squad was disbanded once the war ended."

"That's right, all those guys crimes were wiped away after the war and they were set free. None of 'em are coming back for a war they've got no part in when they're not being handcuffed to it," Rosie declared.

"Rose's got a point, Vine," Largo declared, "Imca here and a few of the others may have turned out to be exceptional, but most the rest of the squad were just out to save their necks. Unless you're planning to drum up some false charges against 'em, I don't think their experience in Yuell is gonna be helpin' us at all."

"What're your thoughts, Ace. You're one of the nameless after all," Vine inquired.

"I wish I could say I don't think Largo's right," Imca sighed, "but I can't. Most of that Squad aren't going to come within 100 ft of a battlefield in this war when they've got nothing to gain from it. I know you still have a lot of faith in the nameless Vine, but with very few exceptions, we were a Squad made up of criminals, many of them criminals who only signed up for the war because they were going to be executed if they didn't.

"And what if I told you that they did have something to gain?" Vine inquired.

"What did you do?" Imca asked.

"Not surprisingly, my old friends, Kurt Irving and Riela Marcellius signed on as soon as I called them, and Leila Peron agreed to join since her brother, Homer, is part of Squad 7. As for the others, well, fortunately being a State Alchemist, I have a lot of money to throw around. I'm gonna be broke for a couple of months, but I was eventually able to get all the Nameless to agree to sign on to the Amestrian Task Force. They're assembling in Yuell now and Kurt is ready to take command of the Yuell liberation."

"Hold on. You bribed 'em with Amestrian State Alchemist money? Is that legal?" Welkin asked.

"I'm allowed the money for whatever I deem fit," Vine replied, "oh, and for the record, Carisa is every bit as much of a penny pincher as ever. I had to pay her nearly twice as much as the others just to get her back inside the tank."

"Maybe you'd like me to get her back for you by outfitting the tank she's piloting with a customer ordered Squad 422 series tank sticker," old man Lane suggested, grinning wickedly.

"Sit down you old geezer, last thing I need is for anyone to think I ordered a new line of your stickers," Vine replied fiercely.

"Not to mention if I ever see my face on one of your stickers, I'm mounting your head to Var," Imca declared menacingly.

"Understood ma'am," Lane declared, saluting fearfully.

"Your call, Ace. You gonna rejoin Kurt and the others in Yuell, or would you rather sick with 72 and attack Ceall?" Vine asked.

"Given the situation, I'd better stick with you," Imca replied, "after a stunt like this, I'd probably lose my patience with my old squadmates. And enough with the Ace thing. I'm your Lieutenant now, which means I'm taking your orders. I'm not number one any more, I'm just Imca. Get that through your skull."

"Ah come on, during the war you got mad at me when I didn't call you Ace. I just can't win with you," Vine sighed in reply, "alright, you'll all be given your assignments soon, so get ready. This is where the fun begins."

….

Around midnight that night, Vine knelt quietly as he observed the town of Ceall from the top of a cliffwall. The town below was deceptively quiet, but Vine was more interested in three tank buster bunkers positioned on the far wall of the canyon, overlooking the only entrance to the city.

"Darn it, are you kidding me? Those Imp bunkers are still there? Once again, Regular army incompetence makes my job that much harder. Those should have been torn apart as soon as the war ended. Right now, all they're doing is making sure that trying to walk in the front door is suicide," Vine cursed as he snuck away to rejoin the squad.

….

"Well?" Imca asked when he returned to the Gallian camp a few miles up the Ceall canyon.

"Just as I feared," Vine replied, "the army never decommissioned the AT Bunkers on the hilltop. They're still in perfect position to be able to rain rockets on us before within a mile of the city."

"Well that's great? What do we do now then?" Ralph asked.

"Last time we attacked this city, I underestimated the Empire's cruelty and neglected to account for those bunkers. Not only did it bite us in the butt then, and it's biting us two years later. I'm not gonna make that mistake again. I'll shoot a signal flare once those guns are dealt with. When I do, start moving into position. I've got everything set up so the tanks will be able to get into position. Without those turrets, the rebels will be hard-pressed to fight back once the rain starts, and this'll be over before daybreak."

"Sir, do you need some help?" Ralph asked.

"Nah, I need to stretch my legs once in a while," Vine replied as he walked away.

….

Inside one of the bunkers, a rebel scout stood by the massive anti-tank lance watching for any sign of enemy movement. He was startled when the bunker suddenly began to shake violently. He didn't have any chance to escape before the entire bunker, along with the other two bunkers and a huge chunk of the cliff, were plummeting towards the city in the canyon below.

"Alright, that's done," Vine declared as he fired a blast into the air, signaling for the attack to commence. The bombardment from the cliff walls by Gallian tanks would only last an hour before the rebels would surrender.

….

In Vassel, retaking the east side of the bridge proved to be relatively easy, but as Welkin and his squads approached the Vassel Bridge, they were surprised to see that the massive draw bridge had been raised, preventing them from crossing.

"Well, guess assaultin' the bridge is out of the question," Largo declared.

"Hold on, wasn't part of the problem last time that the bridge controls were on this side of the bridge?" Edy reminded them, "all we have to do is gain the bridge controls and we've got them."

"Yeah, that was the problem last time," Largo replied, "which is exactly why the Archduchess had the bridge controls moved to the Randgriz side of the bridge as soon as the war was over."

"Are you kiddin? So when we own the bridge the controls are on the Imperial side, but now that we have to take the bridge back from the outside the controls are on the side they should have been on in the first place?" Rosie groaned, "if it weren't for bad luck, we wouldn't have any."

"Nothing we can do about it now except for borrow a page from our old play book," Welkin declared, "alright, we're crossing the river!"

….

On the other side of the river, on the bank below the bridge, two rebel soldiers were patrolling the coast line looking for boats attempting to cross. They didn't anticipate what was actually crossing the river as the Edelweiss suddenly burst out from under the surface of the water, running both soldiers over as it roared onto the shore. Soon after, three other army tanks burst out of the water as well and pulled up alongside the Edelweiss. The hatch opened at Welkin poked his head out.

"Well, Is, looks like your old modifications are still holding up just fine," he said happily as he pulled out the flare gun his sister had fixed for him during the war, "alright, let's drive the rebels back to where they came from. Fall in sevens!" he said as he fired a flare into the air, signaling the waiting soldiers across the river to begin their crossing by boat. As dozens of soldier filled boats landed on the shores of Vassel's west side and commenced their surprise attack, the surprised rebels were scattered and quickly defeated. Once again, Vassel had been liberated by Welkin Gunther and Squad 7.

….

In Yuell, however, things were not initially going so well. The central forces sent to the city had arrived to find that they're supposed commanding officer was nowhere to be seen and in the confusion that had followed, they had quickly lost control of the battle.

"This is what we get for putting our faith in criminals!" one soldier shouted angrily as a man beside him was shot in the shoulder and blown onto his back.

"We can't hold them back! We need to retreat!" another soldier shouted as he watched another of his comrades be shot and killed. Three rebel tanks were continuously shelling them as all that was left of most of their own tanks were bent steel and shrapnel. It seemed obvious that the Rebels were going to win this fight, but all wasn't as it seemed. As a rebel tank rolled towards the Gallian army, a sudden explosion destroyed it, surprising both rebels and gallians. Before anyone knew what was happening, both remaining tanks had been destroyed and sniper rounds were beginning to rain down on the Rebel soldiers, picking off many of the enemy lancers.

Up on the roof top, a man with dark colored hair who was wearing a black variant of the Gallian military uniform loaded another sniper round into his rifle. Aiming carefully, he fired, dropping another enemy lancer. "Alright, that takes care of their anti-tank capabilities," the man, Kurt Irving, declared, "alright, Nameless, commence operation," her ordered into a wireless radio attached to his shoulder. The rebels were caught completely unaware as gunfire began to rain down on them from all directions as members of Squad 422 revealed themselves to have been hiding in the buildings and ruins that lined the streets of the city and began to rip apart the enemy forces. A ruined wall suddenly crumbled to pieces as the Nameless tank burst through the wall and fired a shell on the rebel soldiers.

"I don't believe it," a Gallian soldier shouted, "it's them! The Nameless really came!"

"Alright men, let's give our new Commander some support!" another soldier shouted as the Gallian army members resumed their attack. Surrounded on all sides by hostile forces, the rebels were left with only two options, surrender or be torn to shreds. Fortunately, they choose surrender. On the rooftop, Kurt Irving lowered his sniper rifle and looked down at the surrendering rebels.

"Operation successful," he declared into his radio, smiling as he heard the cheers of the Nameless soldiers below him.

**Ending Theme: Shunkan Sentimental (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"You called us, Brixy."

"Yes Avan, we've just received word that supplies for the rebel army are traveling through the south from the Federation."

"We're going to intercept the supplies when they pass through Roendahl Canyon?"

"That's correct, Fullmetal, of course, the enemy commander in the area provides a bit of a problem.

**NEXT TIME: A FIERCE TANK BATTLE IN ROENDAHL Isara's Dream vs Geirolul**

"She's not getting away this time."


	34. Chapter 34

Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 30

**A FIERCE TANK BATTLE IN ROHENDAHL**

**Isara's Dream vs Geirolul**

**Opening Theme: Period (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

In his temporary office in Lanseal, Roy Mustang stood looking over a map of Gallia. He'd just heard from Vine about the Amestrian task forces retaking of Yuell, Vassel, and Ceall, and was expecting news from the central forces any moment now. Soon, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he ordered as Hughes walked in, carrying a letter.

"We've got word from Vine, Roy," he declared laying the paper on the table.

"What does it say?" Mustang inquired, looking over the paper.

"It's not good. Vine and his forces cut the rebels off from their ragnite supplies in the south when he took Yuell, the north by taking back Ceall, and the east by taking back Vassel. Despite that, his forces have begun to be pounded on by a large number of V2s. They're fending them off, but Vine doesn't know how Gassenarl is still getting his hands on so much Ragnite to power the V2s when he's cut off from all of his ragnite supplies," Hughes replied.

"They must be getting their supplies from the west," Mustang replied, "and if that's true, there's only one place they could be getting supplies from."

"The Federation? But if they aid the rebels, aren't they chancing open war with Amestris?" Hughes asked.

"Not necessarily," Mustang replied, "it'd obviously be to their favor if Baldren stayed in power, as he intends to cut Gallia's diplomatic ties with Amestris. The Federation may be planning to sweep in after he's done that, when Gallia is shattered and still recovering, and claim the territory as its own. Either way, the potential payoff of a move like this far outweighs the risks. If Baldren can hold us out long enough, it's only a matter of time before we're forced to abandon the country to him and the Federation will be all but assured to gain control of Gallia's resources."

"If that's the case, then we'd better hurry and find their supply route and shut it down," Hughes declared.

"Trying to move that much Ragnite all the way from the Federation to Randgriz would be risky," Mustang thought, "it's more likely they'd ship the supplies to a rebel controlled port, first. If that's the case, it's likely the supplies are moving through here," Mustang declared pointing at the map.

"Rohendahl Canyon," Hughes replied, "that certainly makes our reports of rebel activity in that area make a lot more sense."

"What sort of activity?" Mustang inquired.

"The kind that involves the Geirolul, and by extension, Audrey Gassenarl," Hughes replied.

"Audrey is operating in Rohendahl?" Mustang replied in surprise.

"Audrey would only be this far from Randgriz with Amestrian and Gallian forces closing in on them if it were important," Hughes declared.

"Then Rohendal just became our next target," Mustang declared, "tell every squad except our defense squads to get ready to head for the canyon," he ordered standing up and walking for the exit, "and we're not sitting out of this one."

"Yes sir," Hughes replied as he followed Mustang to deliver the orders.

….

In no time at all, Squad G had assembled and Ed and Avan were looking over the mission briefings.

"Rohendahl Canyon has a small, fresh-water river that runs through the center of the canyon," Ed declared as he was looking over the map, "I don't like this. That river provides water to at least 4 different villages further downstream, including a mostly Darcsen village."

"Even if they aren't using the canyon for supplies, we can't allow them to keep control of that river," Zeri declared, "I doubt they'd spare the Darcsens just so they don't harm the other three villages. It's only a matter of time before they realize that have a knife to those villagers throats."

"No kidding," Ed replied, "if they were to poison the river, or find a way to cut it off, it'd be disastrous to the villages downstream.

"Poison? But wouldn't that kill a lot of innocent people in the other villages to?" Cosette asked.

"Like Zeri said, I don't think the rebels really care," Avan replied.

"Darn it," Ed cursed, "how low are these rebels willing to go? We've got no time to waste, we need to get going!" he declared as he stood up and glanced around the room at the fully equipped Squad G.

"We're all ready to go on my end," Lavinia declared as she walked into the briefing room, "the Dream is running like a dream and I've got all the supplies packed away."

"Alright then, what're we waiting for? Let's move out, guys!" Avan ordered as Squad G prepared to head for Rohendahl.

….

At Rohendahl, Audrey Gassenarl stood watching as the Ragnite supplies from the Federation moved through the canyon en route to Randgriz.

"This doesn't feel right. Why would the Federation so willingly hand over these supplies," she wondered aloud as she watched, "they must know they're courting open war with Amestris. What's their endgame?"

"Ma'am you should come take a look at this!" a rebel soldier called from behind her. Walking over to the man who was standing next to a map table, she looked at the map as the rebel pointed at the river.

"Look at this ma'am," the soldier declared as he pointed at the river on the map and followed it's flow to a small village, "we just managed to confirm it. This river is the only supply of fresh water to this entire village of stinkin' Dark Hairs. If something happened to the water, it'd be the end of their entire village."

"An entire village of Darcsens," Audrey replied sounding contemplative, "it is certainly a tempting opportunity, but what of these other 3 villages along the river?"

"Just small towns, ma'am," the soldier replied, "they also rely on the river for water, but they aren't important enough to give up this opportunity to spare."

"Not important enough to spare?" Audrey replied, "soldier, we are here to protect this supply route from loyalist attacks, not to exterminate Darcsens. We have no reason to endanger these other villages over one Darcsen tribe. You are not to tamper with the water in the river, am I understood?" The soldier looked stunned, as though he thought his commander was joking, so she asked again. "Am I understood?"

"Y… yes ma'am," the soldier replied, looking thoroughly disappointed.

"Good, now return to your post," Audrey ordered as she turned and left.

"Yes ma'am," the man replied as he walked away as well when he noticed Audrey was out of earshot, he walked over and joined three other rebel soldiers who'd been listening in."

"Get the poisons ready. Lady Audrey will thank us for this later," he ordered as the other soldiers nodded and went to work.

….

"Audrey Gassenarl and her armored division," Julianna declared as she lay hidden among a clump of tall grass, watching three or four tanks and several dozen rebel soldiers moving around the canyon in front of her.

"This canyon doesn't exactly provide much cover," Ed said as he crawled up alongside her, "trying to get by those tanks isn't going to be easy."

"I don't know," Julianna replied, "the river may be able to help us out. The villagers downstream have built a trench system through the canyon to allow themselves to regulate the flow of water through the river. We may be able to use the trenches to move forces behind the enemy line for a surprise attack."

"That's not a bad plan," Ed replied as he clapped his hands together and opened a tunnel in the grass so they could sneak away unseen, "let's get back to the others. We'd better get going."

….

A few minutes later, the rebel soldiers stopped and listened as what sounded like a vehicle could be heard moving through the canyon. Soon, Isara's Dream emerged from around a canyon wall followed by five additional Lanseal tanks. Lavinia quickly turned the Dream's turret, firing a tank shell which ripped right through the first tank, destroying it. The other Lanseal tanks followed suit, ripping apart several of the Rebel tanks as the soldiers assumed battle positions. A lancer grabbed his anti-tank lance and lifted it up, ready to fire on one of the Lanseal tanks, but a gunshot from behind him put him down before he could fire. The soldiers turned in dismay to see a group of ten Lanseal cadets opening fire on them. A Sniper round knocked down another soldier as Nichol lay perched on top of the canyon wall, watching the battle bellow him begin to unfold as he loaded another round into his Sniper Rifle and sniper rounds began to fly from five other Lanseal Snipers who were hidden across ledges created by Colonel Mustang along the canyon wall. Down below, Avan and the remainder of the Lanseal cadets began to move up, using the tanks for cover as they encroached on the enemy line. Two enemy tanks remained, but a well-aimed lancer shell from Rene, who was with the group who'd snuck behind the tanks, struck one's ragnite radiator, causing it to explode. The final tank managed to fire off a round of its own, but the round deflected harmlessly of the Dream's thick armor and it was quickly ripped apart by two of the Lanseal tanks. With their tanks gone, the remaining soldiers were quickly either killed or subdued.

"Was that it?" Avan asked.

"Where's Audrey? That can't be all they have to defend the canyon," Ed replied. A loud boom surprised everyone present who looked up to the sky to see a five rockets shooting down towards them!

"Take cover!" Ed shouted, clapping his hands together and forming a wall of Earth which he used to intercept the missiles. The students hid behind the tanks and any other cover they could find to protect themselves from the blast as the wall was almost immediately destroyed. Two of the missiles, unfortunately, got through the wall and crashed down onto two of the tanks, destroying them instantly and sending any cadets unfortunate enough to be too close to them flying.

"We need a medic! Hurry!" Franca ordered, kneeling down next to Marion who'd been thrown by the explosion.

"Zeri! You okay!?" Avan shouted to Zeri who'd been knocked down as well. Zeri responded by quickly rising to his feet.

"I'll live! Where did that shot come from!?" Zeri demanded.

"Avan!?" Nichol's voice called over the wireless, "it's the tank from Yuell! It's on a ridge above you!"

"I see it," Ed cursed as he spotted their enemy, Audrey Gassenarl's custom tank, the Geirolul, on the ridge above them as the tanks five rocket pods pointed down at the cadets, preparing to fire another barrage. As it did, several dozen more soldiers suddenly came charging into the canyon in front of the cadets and a much more fierce battle began.

"Ed, if that tank fires again, we're in trouble!" Zeri shouted as he was forced to take cover behind one of the remaining Lanseal tanks. He was surprised when the Dream's turret suddenly pointed up and fired a shell which slammed into the Geirolul's rocket pods, blowing three of them clean off of the tank and damaging the remaining two severely.

"Audrey Gassenarl, huh? So you're the woman Gramps always spoke so highly of," Lavinia cursed from inside her tank, "you don't look so tough, let's see what you can do."

"I recognize that tank's design," Audrey realized as she looked down at the tank that had blown off her rocket pods, "give me a damage report!"

"Ma'am, the rocket pods are severely damaged. We've only got two functioning!" her assistant replied.

"Then fire at the tank that shot us!" Audrey ordered. She was surprised as the tank began to roll away from the Lanseal students and the other two tanks, towards her men. Aiming for the Dream, she fired the two rocket shells, but miraculously, the other tank was able to avoid the two shots and keep rolling.

"Lavinia! What're you doing!?" Ed shouted.

"Saving your skins," Mustang's voice suddenly declared as a flame shot between the two remaining tanks, around the Dream and engulfed the enemy soldiers.

"Colonel!?" Ed exclaimed in surprise.

"Fullmetal, the rebels have got a truck load of chemicals and it looks like they're planning to dump them in the river. Looks like they're planning on poisoning the water after all. Get going and stop them! Hardins, Everheart, Zeri, you're with Fullmetal. The villages downstream are counting on you, so don't screw this up, Fullmetal," Mustang ordered.

"You've gotta be kidding! I didn't think they'd actually go as far as to poison the river!" Ed exclaimed in dismay.

"Ed, Avan, if they dump those chemicals into the river, a lot of innocent people are going to die!" Zeri shouted.

"Which is why we aren't going to let that happen. Time to call in our secret weapon," Avan revealed, grabbing his wireless, "Aliasse, you're up!"

….

"Got it!" Aliasse exclaimed from where she stood on a ridge overlooking the canyon. From where she stood, she could easily see the truck in question moving towards the river, and she tightened her grip on her lance, her Valkyrian flame formed around her and she leapt from the cliff and charged towards the truck.

….

Lavinia managed to maneuver the tank around two more shots from the Geirolul which slammed into the canyon floor as she rolled under the Geirolul so that her back was facing it.

"What is he planning?" Audrey wondered as she began to turn the rocket pods to fire on the Dream again. She was caught off guard, however, as the Dream's turret suddenly turned and pointed up again, firing a shell that exploded into the ridge beneath the Geirolul. Audrey yelped as the ridge beneath her tank collapsed and she found herself falling down into the canyon. Fortunately for Audrey, the canyon wall slopped and rather than just falling into the Canyon, they Geirolul slid down the slope saving the life of the tank's commander as the tank slid down and crashed into the remains of another Imperial Tank.

"Gah, damage report!" she shouted to her assistant, only to discover that he'd been killed by the impact. She could feel a small trickle of blood running down her cheek as she reached up and opened the tank hatch. As she crawled out of the tank, she saw the hatch on the other tank open as well and a young, brown-skinned woman with shoulder length, dark brown hair emerged onto the top of the tank and the two female tank commanders stared each other down.

"So you're the tank commander Gramps always brags about," Lavinia declared sourly, "you know, I always thought you'd be taller."

"Your 'Gramps'?" Audrey replied curiously, "do I know your grandfather?"

"Balwin Lane. He used to be your mechanic unless I'm wrong," Lavinia replied angrily. Audrey's expression changed to one of embarrassed rage, which surprised Lavinia a little.

"That lecherous old man is your grandfather!?" she exclaimed loudly, "you poor girl."

"Uhh, so you do remember Gramps," Lavinia sighed in embarrassment.

"Remember him? It was almost three months after the war ended before I was willing to wear a skirt again after serving with your grandfather. How he's survived as long as he has is beyond me," Audrey replied.

"Yep, she remembers Gramps. Pops always said he's still alive because evil never dies," Lavinia sighed in embarrassment, "Grrr… that's beside the point! You're under arrest, Audrey Gassenarl. You'd better come quietly!"

"You certainly haven't left me with many options, have you," Audrey declared, "my soldiers are all dead and my tank is destroyed. I'm certainly in no condition to resist arrest at this point. I suppose I have no choice."

"Heads up! We've got more tanks incoming," Nichol's voice suddenly called over the wireless. Lavina turned her back on Audrey for only a moment to confirm that five rebel tanks were advancing up the canyon, but that was all the time Audrey needed to attack. Grabbing the tank commander by her hair she drew her sword and pressed it against Lavinia's throat, planning to use her as a hostage.

"Give it up, Audrey," a familiar voice ordered as Audrey spun Lavinia so that the Class G Tank Commander stood between herself and Colonel Mustang.

"Stay back, Mustang, unless you want this woman's blood on your hands!" Audrey demanded.

"Give up, Audrey, there's no version of this that is going to end with you on top," Mustang ordered, "we've already intercepted your plan to poison the river and you have no prayer of holding the canyon with the few troops you have left. Don't make this worse for yourself."

"Poison the river?" Audrey replied in confusion.

….

As the chemical truck inched closed to the water, a blue figure suddenly shot over the water and slammed into the truck, stopping it in its tracks. A blue flame engulfed the truck, obliterating it and instantly vaporizing the chemicals inside it. The two soldiers who were guarding the truck watched in surprised horror as from the smoke and flame from the truck, emerged one of the goddesses of battle, the Valkyria.

….

The blue flame from Aliasse's attack could be seen by Mustang and Audrey, that latter of which opened her eyes wide with surprise and dismay.

"A Valkyria?" she gasped in surprise at the sight of the flames.

"That's right, Audrey," Mustang declared, "you may have your artificial Valkyria at your disposal, but they don't look quite as impressive when compared to the real thing, do they. Truth be told, we actually have 3 genuine Valkyria on our side. Like I said before, there's no version of this that ends up with you winning or even surviving this war. Tell your brother that for me, will you," Mustand ordered as he lowered his hand and turned to walk away, "oh, and one more thing. If any harm comes to Archduchess Cordelia, with Raging Blast knocking down your door, the political consequences from Amestris would be the least of your worries. You may wanna make sure your brother understands that as well. Now, take whatever forces you have and leave. Our Valkyria have direct orders to kill any rebels who're still here when she arrives, so I'd advise moving quickly." Despite still being dumbstruck and the discovery that lanseal possessed a Valkyria, Audrey quickly released Lavinia. As quickly as she could, she signaled her remaining tanks and the rebel forces abandoned Rohendahl Canyon.

"Colonel, are you sure letting her go was a good idea?" Lavinia demanded in frustration.

"It's fine," Mustang replied, "all she can do now is go back to Randgriz and tell Baldren exactly what I want her to. That any prayer he had of winning this war died once Aliasse joined us. This war is as good as over."

**Ending Theme: Shunkan Sentimental (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)**

"Rohendahl is lost, and what's worse, it seems that one of the gods themselves have joined with the Darcsen taint."

"Baldren, news of our defeat at Rohendahl is spreading. Darcsen workers at several of the towns rely on for our dwindling ragnite stores have begun to revolt."

"Foolish Darcsens. I shall personally teach them what happens to those who defy my rule."

**Next time: Reunion at Doerfein DEFEND THE DARCSENS**

"It's over Baldren, I'll end you here!"


	35. Chapter 35

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**INVADERS OF GALLIA**

**Episode 35**

**REUNION AT DORFEIN**

**Defend the Darcsens**

**Opening Theme: Kenashimi Rensa (Valkyria Chronicles)**

The final V2 fell as a red blast passed clean through it. Vine looked around him at the dozen dead V2s that surrounded him.

"Looks like they finally ran out of these things," Kurt declared as he and Welkin joined the Raging Blast.

"We can probably thank our Lanseal friends for that," Welkin declared, "without Rohendahl and Yuell, they probably can't get enough Ragnite fast enough to keep using the V2s."

"Rohendahl isn't their only problem," Imca revealed, "we just got word that Darcsen slaves who were being forced to work in at least seven rebel controlled Ragnite mines are now in open revolt against the rebel forces."

"That'll work to our advantage," Kurt declared, "not only will the Darcsen's put another wrench in Baldren's Ragnite, but they'll force him to spread his forces out even more then they already are, which will weaken Randgriz's defense force."

"I don't know... Maybe," Vine replied.

"What's wrong, Vine?" Welkin asked.

"Imca, which of the revolting mines is the largest?" Vine asked.

"Huh? Oh, uhh, Dorfein mine has over 200 Darcsen slaves working there and supplies more than half of the rebel's remaining Ragnite by itself," Imca replied, "why do you ask?"

"So if you were the rebels and you were going to make an example of what happens to any Darcsen who opposes you, is that where you'd attack?" Vine asked.

"Wait... you don't think..." Kurt began to ask.

"Baldren is nothing if not proud," Vine declared, "now that he's claiming to be Archduke, there's no doubt he'll view this revolt as a personal insult. My guess is he'll wipe the largest rebelling group out in order to frighten the smaller ones back into submission. Imca order Squad 72 to get ready to move for Dorfein. Even if I'm wrong, busting the mine out of Baldren's hands will probably be the finishing blow against the rebels. We can't miss this chance. Welkin, you're in charge here until I get back."

"Not a bad idea. If Dorfein is really as important to the rebels as we think it is, then there's no real downside to attacking it. In fact, taking it would probably mean we won't have to worry about the V2s anymore," Kurt declared.

"That's the plan anyways," Vine declared, "we'll see if that actually ends up being the case.

...

Back at Lanseal, Edward Elric let out an audible sigh as he signed the final paper on his desk.

"Man, this sucks. Now I get why Mustang's always complaining about paperwork," he grumbled as he rose to his feet.

"Ah, good, you're still here, Edward," Professor Brixham said as he entered the room with another stack of papers, "these are supply requisition forms for Class G. They just need your signature and they'll be ready to send to Colonel Mustang."

"Oh come on! Why did't you send me this stuff with the others!?" Ed shouted angrily.

"Sorry, but these weren't ready when Mustang requested we have the mission reports finished," Brixy replied.

"Darn it, I don't want to fill out more papers!" Ed shouted.

"Well, you may have received a temporary rescue," Brixy revealed, "Mustang just sent word that the Darcsen workers in several Rebel controlled Ragnite mines are now in open revolt, and Lanseal squads will be moving out to support these revolts. It looks like Class G and Class A will be joining up and dispatching to Dorfein mine."

"A mission, huh," Ed sighed, "great, that just means more mission reports to sign when it's over.

...

"So Rohendahl is lost to us, and our supply route with it," Baldren grumbled after listening to Audrey's report in the Castle Randgriz courtroom.

"Forgive me, Brother," Audrey pleaded, "we were overwhelmed by the Valkyia who now serves Lanseal."

"Valkyria..." Baldren repeated, "to think that the Darcsen filth could have tainted one of the gods themselves. This Valkyria will prove troublesome."

"That's not true, Archduke Gassenarl," Ambassador Townsend declared, "with the Artificial Valkyria research we stole from Lanseal, our Artificial Valkyria will become more then powerful enough to defeat a single Valkyrian youth."

_The Valkyrian youth isn't the one that worries me_, Audrey thought to herself, _I wonder how long we have now before she joins the battle._

"Lord Baldren!" a rebel officer called as he entered the throne room.

"What is it?" Baldren demanded.

"It's the Darcsens sir," the officer replied, "the slaves in our Ragnite mines have revolted!"

"The mines? If we lose those we'll have no source of Ragnite left," Audrey realized, "we'll be finished."

"Foolish Darcsens. It's apparent I've been far to lenient with this garbage," Baldren hissed.

"Baldren, give me the order and I'll take my forces and suppress these revolts," Audrey pleaded.

"No," Baldren replied, "I shall use these Darcsen's as an example of what happens to anyone who opposes my rule. I will crush this revolution with my own two hands."

"But sir, is it really necessary for the Archduke to tend to such matters?" Townsend asked.

"Silence! No Ambassador for the Federation will tell me what is necessary. I will make sure that no one is ever foolish enough to oppose my rule again!" Baldren replied angrily.

"Of course my lord, I meant no disrespect," Townsend declared timidly.

"Audrey, order my forces to prepare to move out. I will crush this mockery of my rule with one blow."

...

At Dorfein, the few desperate defenders were futilely trying to stem the tide of escaping Darcsen prisoners, but the Darcsens had managed to acquire weapons from soldiers who had been killed or captured by them and were assaulting their remaining captors with a fury like the rebels had never seen before, even for the few who had survived encounters with the State Alchemists.

"We need reinforcements!" a rebel soldier shouted into a communicator outside the mine entrance. He was surprised when his wish was almost instantly fulfilled by five Rebel tanks and several squads of Rebel soldiers who suddenly emerged over a hilltop and converged on the mine, with Baldren Gassenarl at their head.

On top of a nearby ridge, a surprised Julianna Everheart looked up from her binoculars.

"Elric, you're going to want to see this," she declared as she passed the binoculars to Ed who glanced down at the entrance.

"No way... it's Baldren!" Ed realized.

"Baldren Gassenarl?" Avan asked in surprise as Ed passed him the binoculars so Avan could see for himself, "why is he here?"

"I don't know, but it's fine with me," Ed replied, "now we've got him right where we want him. He's not getting away again."

"Right," Julianna declared, "if we can capture him, we'll be able to use him to secure Archduchess Cordelia's safe release."

"So that's him then, huh?" Karen declared as she took the binoculars from Avan so she could get a look at her enemy, "Ms. Audrey's older brother. I'm glad I came."

"Yeah," Ed declared, "we let him get away at Diebal, but he won't escape here."

"The mines are large enough for tanks to fit through easily, so what're we waiting for?" Lavinia asked from on top of the Isara's Dream.

"Right, let's get in there and save those Darcsens, guys!" Avan ordered, "Class G, move out!"

"Capture the rebel leader at any cost," Julianna ordered, "Class A, commence operation!"

...

Baldren's forces had already invaded the mine when the Lanseal squads struck the guards at the mine entrance and took them down.

"Alright, let's get in there!" Avan ordered as the Lanseal squads moved into the mine. They hadn't been in the mine more than a minute when a fierce clash between them and the rebels erupted through out the mine.

...

An enemy tank exploded as Rene's anti-tank shell slammed into it's Ragnite fuel container. Two soldiers who'd been nearby the tank were quickly taken out as well by Magari's engineer pistol.

"Man, this place is huge," Rene declared as the two girls looked down into a massive pit that had been dug down so deep, they couldn't even see a bottom, "don't get to close, Magari."

"Right," Magari replied as she and Rene turned to continue into the mine. As she did, however, the rock under her foot suddenly crumbled and began to fall into the mine, taking Magari with it. Rene barely managed to grab her hand before she fell.

"Whoa, I don't even wanna think about how close that came," Rene sighed.

"Sorry, Rene. I thought I was far enough away," Magari said sadly.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault," Rene declared as she began to pull Magari up. At that moment, a loud rumbling sound filled her ear, frightening the Lancer. "Please tell me that's Lavinia," she pleaded as a Rebel tank began to roll towards them out of the darkness of the mine.

"Oh no!" Magari exclaimed in dismay.

"Darn it, not now!" Rene cursed as she reached for her lance with her free hand, only to find that she'd dropped it just out of her reach! "Oh man!" She cried as she abandoned the effort to get the lance and instead grabbed Magari with both hands and began to try to pull her up before the tank rolled them both over. "Just hang on, Magari!" she pleaded.

"Rene, we're not going to make it," Magari cried. Suddenly, a rocket ripped over Rene's back and into the tank, destroying it.

"Who..." Rene gasped as Imca suddenly ran up beside her, grabbed Magari and pulled her back up onto the ledge.

"That was close," Imca sighed as both Magari and Rene collapsed on the ledge in relief, "are you two alright?"

"I think so," Rene declared, "I'll admit though, I didn't think we were going to make it for a second there."

"Me too," Magari revealed, "thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet," Imca ordered as three rebel soldiers suddenly emerged from the darkness. Imca quickly charged them with Var using the blade to instantly dispatch all three soldiers.

"Whoa... she's amazing!" Rene exclaimed, "who is she!?"

"Rene, that's the woman who was assigned to replace Audrey Gassenarl as Vine's second in command!" Magari realized.

"What!?" Rene exclaimed excitedly, "if she's here, then that means..."

...

Cosette was frightened as she moved cautiously through the mine. The dark mine shaft combined with her color blindness was making it difficult to see very far, which increased her surprise when a Darcsen prisoner suddenly emerged from the darkness!

"You've gotta..." he began to shout at Cosette, only to be cut off as a bullet slammed into his back, causing blood to explode from his back as he fell... and cover Cosette who instantly froze and began to shake violently.

"B...blood," she stuttered in dismay as she dropped to her knees and continued to tremble as she stared in shock at the now dead Darcsen whose blood now covered her.

"Take a look at this boys," a man shouted as five rebel soldiers emerged from the shadows, "a Lanseal brat."

"Ahh, she looks frightened," another man declared as he stepped over to Cosette and relieved her of her weapon, "little girls shouldn't carry guns," he declared as he kicked the still traumatized Cosette in the back, knocking her flat on her face.

"She's quite the looker, ain't she fellas," one rebel declared, "it'd be a real waste to just kill her, don't you agree?"

"Heh, let's take her prisoner. We can have some fun with her later," another suggested.

"Hey, Cosette! Where did you go!?" Aliasse shouted suddenly from not far away.

"Ali..." Cosette gasped in dismay as she stopped trembling and looked up in dismay, "ALI! STAY AWAY!" she shouted desperately as she tried to get up only to be held down and hand gagged by one of the rebels. She was powerless to resist her captors as one tied her hands behind her back and another blindfolded her with a handkerchief. Then the men hid, leaving Cosette to struggle futilely against her bonds, which she was still doing when Aliasse emerged from the darkness.

"COSETTE!" the young Valkyrur shouted in dismay as she ran to Cosette's side. She never saw the man who wrenched her scout rifle out of her hand until it was to late. Ali turned to face her assailant, but as she did a powerful hand clasped over her mouth and her arms were pulled behind her back. She scowled angrily at the man in front of her as her arms were bound and a knotted handkerchief was forced into her mouth.

"You'll keep quiet if you know what's good for you," he threatened.

"No, please, she's just a little girl," Cosette pleaded, "please, let her go!"

"Shut up," the man who'd threatened Ali ordered as he slammed his foot into the back of Cosette's head. "You two are ours now, so we'll do whatever we..." he never finished his threat as a figure suddenly burst out of the shadows, kneeing the man in the face before breaking his leg with a brutal kick. The man holding Ali released her in shock as the figure grabbed his arm and twisted it, breaking it with a simple motion before knocking him out with a karate chop to his throat. The other men watched in horror as the figure melted into the shadows of the mine. One man backed up behind his buddies, only to have a knife be driven into his arm, causing him to yell with pain before he was knocked unconscious. The other two turned and instantly rose their weapons, but the figure dropped down behind them. The two men yelped as their assailant pulled a rod across the front of their throats and used it to pull them both flat to the ground as he slammed his foot down on the rod, knocking both men unconscious simultaneously.

"You okay?" the figure asked as it began to untie Ali who nodded her head happily.

"Yuck, that was nasty," Ali hissed as she spat out the kerchief that had been gagging her and her rescuer moved to Cosette.

"Cosette," he said gently as he knelt down and picked the girl back up to her knees. He was surprised when the young cadet began to thrash around madly as though she were trying to fight him off.

"LET US GO! STAY AWAY!" She screamed.

"COSETTE!" the man shouted, causing Cosette to freeze as the man untied her. He removed her blindfold and Cosette quickly turned... and looked up at the smiling Raging Blast Alchemist!

"V... VINE!" she shouted happily as she shot up and threw her arms around the Colonel, burying her face in his cloak as she began to cry.

"I've got you, Cosette," Vine declared as he hugged the terrified cadet, "you're safe now. I'm here."

...

Deeper in the mine, Baldren watched proudly as several dozen subdued prisoners were lined up near a mining pit by his men for execution. "You should have been grateful to me for allowing you to live. It's a mistake I won't repeat," he declared as five of his soldiers prepared to execute the prisoners. Suddenly, the ground underneath the soldiers catapulted up, launching all five soldiers into the pit they'd planned to bury the prisoners in. Baldren listen to their terrified screams for only a moment before a sickening thud silenced them.

"Baldren Gassenarl! Surrender! You can not escape me!" a voice shouted from the shadows.

"What... is this?" Baldren stuttered as Karen, Vine's younger sister, emerged from the shadows to confront him.

**Ending Theme: Heart of Sword (Rurouni Kenshin)**

"Foolish Darcsen! What do you hope to accomplish by challenging me!?"

"I'm going to kill you and end this war! Then I'm going to Randgriz to rescue my friend!"

"Strong words, but can you carry through with your threat?"

"Why don't I sow you!"

**Next Time: Baldren Defeated COSETTE SEES AGAIN**

"I've been missing... so much beauty."


	36. Chapter 36

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**INVADERS OF GALLIA**

**Episode 36**

**BALDREN DEFEATED**

**Cosette Sees Again**

**Opening Theme: Kenashimi Rensa (Valkyria Chronicles)**

"You... I know you!" Baldren hissed angrily as he and Karen squared off.

"My name is Karen," Karen replied, "we met once during the war when I was helping my brother. His squad, your sister's squad, were backing you on an important mission. You looked down on me then because I was just a young girl, but in the end, I proved you wrong and saved your life. I can see now that that was a terrible mistake on my part."

"Karen, that's right, the Dark Hair Alchemist's sister," Baldren growled angrily, "you should mind your tongue when addressing an Archduke, Darcsen."

"You're no Archduke," Karen declared, "just a spoiled noble who looks down on others, thinking himself above them, and if you want me to mind my tongue when I address you, you're going to prove to me that you have the power to make me."

'Her mannerism is completely different from that of her brother. She's completely serious and focused. No chatting, no boasting, just a serious tone and an expression that makes no attempt to hide a resolve to kill. She's certainly a stark contrast to her more light-hearted brother,' Baldren observed silently as he prepared his Maul and examined his opponent, 'even so, she is merely only a young Darcsen, lacking in both training and combat experience. She's hardly a threat.'

"I'll only say this once. If you underestimate me, you'll die," Karen declared firmly.

"Strong talk, for a Darcsen pup," Baldren replied.

"Fine, don't listen, but don't say I didn't warn you," Karen ordered as she held up her hands so Baldren could see the two alchemy rings she was wearing on both pointer fingers.

"I won't give you time to form a weapon!" Baldren declared, charging and swinging for Karen's head with his Maul. Karen fell backwards, slipping under the maul as she back flipped away from Baldren's follow up, overhead strike. Baldren continued to swing as Karen continued to acrobatically dodge.

"You can't win a fight by dancing around!" Baldren roared as he swung horizontally for Karen's chest. He was surprised when Karen leapt over him, did a hand spring off of his shoulders, and landed behind him. "I hope that wasn't your idea of an attack."

Karen gave no response.

"Not very talkative? Then you can die without a word!" Baldren shouted as the two resumed their exchange.

"Pathetic, is that the best you can do?" Karen hissed as she ducked under a slash.

"Watch your tongue!" Baldren ordered as he swung down as though trying to cleave Karen in half. His Maul never reached her, however, as a solid stone pillar rose from the ground and stopped it! "WHAT!?"

"Weapon transmutations aren't really my style," Karen revealed calmly, "since I don't have my brother's training, experience, or brute strength, I have to be more intelligent about how I fight." As if to prove her point, a pillar from a nearby wall suddenly shot out, nailing Baldren and sending him several feet through the air before he crashed to the ground.

"Grrr, that's impossible," Baldren cursed as he rose to his knees and faced his foe.

...

"Medic! Hurry!" Franca shouted as she knelt over an injured Squad A member and opened fire on the rebels at the other end of the mine shaft.

"Grrr, hey, hang in their, Annisette!" Avan ordered, using a piece of cloth to stop the bleeding from a wound on Annisette's shoulder.

"It's... alright Hardins," Annisette gasped weakly, "After all, a star never... really dies... she just waits for... her... big comeback."

"Oh brother," a familiar voice declared as Colonel Vine emerged from the darkness of a mineshaft, "you really are Edy's sister."

"Vine!" Avan shouted, sounding relieved.

"Cosette, Nikki, tend to the wounded," Vine ordered as Nikki and Cosette both rushed past him to Annisette.

"Hold on, Annisette! I'll get you patched up," Cosette reassured her.

"Meanwhile, I'll deal with this lot," Vine declared as he fired a blast at the ceiling above the rebels, causing a cave in that buried the rebel soldiers who had been attacking the cadets. "Done."

"Colonel, what're you doing here!?" Avan asked.

"I was about to ask you kids the same question. You're a long ways from the academy," Vine replied, "you didn't sneak out on another 'secret mission' did you?"

"Colonel Mustang dispatched Lanseal squads to help the revolting miners in several mines in central and southern Gallia," Franca revealed, "He's trying to cripple the rebels Ragnite supply permanently."

"Well, I had close to the same plan, but I only had enough man power to send a squad here," Vine revealed, "the rest of my forces are occupying Baldren and Dirk in Randgriz.

"Not anymore. Baldren's here, leading the rebel forces in the mine!" Avan revealed

"What!?" Vine exclaimed in surprise, "he's taking a pretty big risk, moving out in the open like this."

"It looks like he's planning to personally make an example of the workers here in order to suppress the other riots," Franca reported. As Franca continued to fill Vine in on what was going on, Avan began to talk on his wireless. Soon, he turned to Vine, an excited expression on his face.

"Vine, Alexis just called in! She found Baldren, and he's fighting Karen!" Avan exclaimed.

"Karen came? Huh, guess she got tired of doing nothing. Man, I almost feel sorry for Baldren," Vine sighed.

"You feel sorry... for Baldren?" Cosette repeated, "why?"

"Uhhh, well... let's just say that my little sister can be a bit sadistic when it comes to fighting. She's mercilessly brutal and extremely efficient. Where I'll usually knock my opponent out so they don't feel anything for a while, Karen almost takes pride in her ability to inflict a maximum amount if injury to her opponents without allowing them the luxury of passing out. To be honest, she even scares me a bit," Vine revealed.

"No way, Karen?" Cosette gasped, "I wouldn't think she'd hurt anyone."

"Well, she normally wouldn't, but once she starts fighting, it's a whole different story. She's downright terrifying."

...

Baldren was just finding out how terrifying Karen was as several transmuted spikes embedded into his shield, narrowly missing penetrating the shield and skewering him. He began to curse, then cried out with pain as a spike penetrated the shield where his arm was, piercing his forearm as well.

"I'm going to make you suffer the pain felt by every last Darcsen and Gallian whose lives you've ruined in your selfish grab for power," Karen declared, standing next to a massive transmuted crossbow she'd launched the spikes from.

"Cursed Darcsen," Baldren hissed, "how can you possess this much power?"

"I learned how to fight so I could protect a precious friend of mine from men like you who would seek to hurt her," Karen replied, "and when I'm finished with you, I'll be going to Randgriz to save her."

"A precious friend?" Baldren repeated, confused by the answer.

"Honestly, she's more like my twin sister," Karen admitted, "and she suffers every day because of evil men like you. I intend to make certain she doesn't have to suffer anymore!"

"Is that so," Baldren replied angrily, "well, if you don't want her to suffer any longer, why don't you tell me who she is and I'll personally see to it that she never suffers again!"

"No, you won't. You'll never bother her again," Karen revealed as she fired another spike from her crossbow which Baldren dodged before charging at Karen with his Maul ready to strike. He barely managed to stop himself before a massive and powerful blue flame passed between the two combatants. As the flame began to clear, a stone pillar shot through the smoke and crashed into Baldren, crushing the Gassenarl brother against the wall.

"What... was that... the Valkyrian pup?" Baldren gasped as he broke away the pillar that held him pinned against the wall.

"That's no pup," Karen declared as a figure began to emerge from the shadows of the mine shaft. Baldren's eyes widened with horror as the figure became more visible.

"It... can't be. Why... why would she have sided with the Darcsen taint?" He stammered fearfully. Armed with lance and shield, with hair that shone as silver as moonlight and eyes the were as red as blood, Alicia Melchiott Gunther emerged from the shadows. Gallia's Valkyrian hero had joined the battle.

"Alicia, I didn't think you were ready to become involved yet," Karen admitted.

"I'm alright," Alicia replied with a smile, "Welvar, Lara, and Sarah are all watching Isara."

"Well, that's good, but I'm sure my brother still wouldn't be happy if he knew you were here," Karen warned.

"Well, your brother doesn't have to know," Alicia replied.

"Please, you forget, her brother has spies everywhere," a voice declared from behind Alicia, startling her. "Oh, and let's not forget his amazing ability to show up exactly when you don't want him to," Vine declared as he walked past Alicia.

"Brother? When did you get here?" Karen asked.

"Oh, awhile ago. Thought I'd stop by, see how things were going, end a war, you know, the usual. Hey, where's Alexis, she's the one who called and told us where you guys were."

"I'm here, Colonel," Alexis replied as she emerged from one of the shafts, "I was ready to help out, but Karen seemed to have things under control, so I evacuated the workers instead."

"Good call," Vine replied, "now, not to cut you off when you're on a roll, Squirt, but I'll take it from here."

"So, you're here as well," Baldren said, looking like he was pleased about something, "good, I can bury you all together."

"Bury us?" Vine repeated.

"That's right," Baldren replied, "you didn't think I came here without a plan, did you? In less then 10 minutes, a bomb is set to go off in the heart of the mine. It's strong enough to bring this entire mine down on you, your Lanseal brats, and all the filthy Darcsens who dared stand against me."

"Darn it," Vine cursed.

"What is it going to be, Colonel. You can't stop me and save those precious children of yours, so which is it going to be," Baldren taunted.

"That's no decision at all," Vine hissed as he grabbed his wireless, "we'll end this soon enough, so you can slip away with your tail between your legs this time. Fullmetal, Avan, come in!"

"You'll regret standing against the new Archduke of Gallia, Alchemist," Baldren threatened.

"I'm looking forward to knocking that ego of yours down a notch, Baldren," Vine replied.

"Vine, what's up?" Avan asked over the radio, "did you get Baldren?"

"No, we've got bigger problems right now. The rebels have a bomb set up somewhere in the mine and it's going to explode in just a few minutes. We need to get everyone out, now!"

"What!?" Ed shouted angrily, "darn it, talk about dirty tricks!"

"We can complain about it later, right now, we need to get all of the cadets and workers out of the mine," Vine ordered, "I'd hate to say this, but let the rebels go. We have more important things to worry about right now."

"Grrr, yes sir," Avan replied, "you heard him, guys. Let's get the workers and get out of here!"

"Darn it, I can't believe he used such a dirty trick to get away!" Karen cursed.

"Relax, he has nowhere to go," Vine revealed, "I received a report from Welkin just before I got here. The central army has already laid siege to Randgriz. Baldren will never be able to reach the city with the limited troops he has left. Right now, we need to focus on getting everyone out of here."

"Right," Karen replied, knowing her brother was right. Still, it was obvious she was upset at losing Baldren.

...

"Alright, everyone hurry!" Vine ordered as members of Squad G, A, and 72 worked frantically to evacuate injured soldiers and Darcsen miners, "we're running out of time."

"Vine, the miners from the eastern part of the mine are all out!" Avan reported as he joined the Colonel.

"Same with the western part," Ed revealed as he joined as well.

"Good, I think that's all of the workers. Who're we missing?" Vine asked.

"Avan... Vine... Ed... can anyone hear me?" Cosette suddenly cried over the radio. The fear in her voice quickly made Vine nervous.

"Cosette, where are you?" Vine asked.

"Colonel... the... the bomb... I'm looking right at it!" Cosette cried in response, "the timer says... it's going to go off in three minutes!"

"Crud, alright, calm down Cosette. Check the timer and tell me if you can see a serial number," Vine ordered.

"Okay, I see one," Cosette revealed, "GX-72190." Vine looked as though he'd just been shot in the heart when he heard the number.

"You've gotta be kidding me. Is this some all knowing beings sick idea of a prank?" Vine cursed.

"What's wrong?" Avan asked.

"Cosette, there should be two wires connecting the timer to the bomb."

"I see them."

"Alright, then listen carefully. The blue wire connects the timer to the detonator. If you cut it, the bomb will explode. In order to disarm the bomb, you have to cut the red wire which connects the detonator to the actual explosive. That's the only way to disarm the bomb," Vine revealed.

"Please tell me you're joking," Ed gasped.

"I wish I were," Vine replied.

"Vine, Cosette's color blind! She can't tell the difference between the red and blue wires!"

"I know that, Fullmetal! Shut up and let me think!" Vine ordered.

"Colonel... I'm to far away from you guys. I... I won't be able to make it out before the bomb goes off. Please, you've got to get everyone else out while you can!" Cosette pleaded.

"You can forget it, Cosette," Avan declared firmly, "I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Same here," Ed declared, "Colonel, can we get to her in time?"

"Not a chance," Vine replied calmly, "Cosette, our only chance is for you to cut that wire, so get cutting"

"No!" Cosette protested, "please, you can't all die too! You have to get out!"

"Calm down Cosette. No one is dying today. Just focus and cut the red wire," Vine ordered.

"But... I can't... red... red scares me..." Cosette cried in a panic stricken voice.

"Vine, is there anything we can do?" Avan begged.

"It's a long shot, but..." Vine replied, "Cosette's color blindness is trauma induced, meaning it's psychological, not physical. If Cosette gets desperate enough, she may be able to overcome it, I hope."

...

Meanwhile, a panic stricken Cosette was trembling as she knelt over the bomb.

"How... what if I mess up? Avan... and Ed... Ali and Vine... everyone will die and it'll be all my fault again," she cried, "it'll be just like what happened to my parents. I can't... blood scares me... red..." She let out a loud gasp as she opened her eyes wide as though she'd just remembered something.

'_Why? Why does red scare me?'_ she thought quietly, _'Ed's jacket is red. So if Vine's cloak and Avan's hair and Ali's eyes... and... they're all people I love... people who I know love me. I'm not scared of them, and I don't want to lose them. Not yet. I... I have to do this."_ Letting out a calm sigh, she grabbed a wire and moved her knife towards it.

...

Cosette looked down at the freshly cut wire with a trembling hand. The timer on the bomb had struck zero, but she was still alive. More importantly, she could see that the wire in her hand... was red!

"Cosette!" she heard Avan shout from nearby.

"Everyone, I'm over here!" She shouted happily as Vine, Ed, and Avan emerged from a mineshaft.

"Phew, looks like you did it," Ed sighed in relief.

"Come on, don't tell me you were worried Short Stuff," Vine teased as he inspected the bomb.

"Oh, your headband is red too!" Cosette said suddenly.

"Huh?" Vine replied in confusion.

"You asked me back in Yuell what color your headband was," Cosette reminded him, "I didn't realize it was red too. Mrs. Alicia's right, red really is your best color."

"Uhh, I'm lost," Vine declared before the weight of Cosette's statement finally sunk in on those around here.

"Hold on, Cosette... You can see!" Ed exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, I have to admit, I'm impressed," Vine declared, smiling proudly, "looks like there was actually some good that came out of this. Definately takes away some of the sting of letting Baldren slip away. Ya did good Kiddo. Ya did really good."

"Thank you, Vine, Ed, Avan. It's thanks to all of you having faith in me. I was so scared at first, but just knowing you were all there for me helped me move forward."

"Maybe, but I think we actually had very little to do with it. You've always had the strength to move forward, Cosette, you just needed a nudge in the right direction," Vine declared, "after you got that nudge the rest was all you." At that point, Cosette could only smile as here tears of joy prevented her from saying anymore.

...

"Ahh, nothing like a mountain sunset to end a long day," Vine declared after he, Avan, Ed, and Cosette had joined the others outside.

"It's so beautiful. I've really been missing so much beauty," Cosette sighed happily.

"Well, now you've got your whole life to make up for it," Ed reminded her, "we just need to stop the rebels from ruining it."

"Right," Vine declared, "I guess it's up to me now. You can leave the rest of this to me."

"No way man," Avan replied, "we came this far together, and we're seeing it through to the end."

"A noble sentiment, Hardins," Julianna declared, "one I agree with wholeheartedly. Still, let's not forget that you have a far more personal stake in this fight."

"That's right," Zeri remembered, "Leon, your brother, is fighting for the rebels. What're you planning to do, Avan?"

"I... I need to talk to him. Then I'll know what to do, I'm sure of it!" Avan declared.

"I hope you're right, Avan," Vine declared, "I really do. Alright then, here's what we're going to do. I'll head back to Randgriz and finish driving the rebels out of the city. Once they lose the Capitol, they'll no doubt make for their final stronghold in Anthold. That's where we'll meet up to finish this fight."

"Got it," Ed declared.

"Anthold Harbor? Well, this should be interesting," Zeri replied.

"So it'll finally all be over," Julianna said thoughtfully.

"Right. Just one battle left to win," Avan declared, anxious for what would hopefully be the end of the Gallian Revolutionary Army.

**Closing Theme: Heart of Sword (Rurouni Kenshin)**

"Randgriz is ours again, and as expected, Baldren, Audrey, and Dirk have retreated to Anthold."

"Time to end this."

"Looks that way."

**Next time: A Desperate Mission AUDREY'S FINAL DEFEAT**

"Avan, this mission is suicide for at least one of your classmates."


	37. Chapter 37

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Invaders of Gallia**

**Episode 37**

**A DESPERATE MISSION**

**Audrey's Final Defeat**

**Opening Theme: Kanashimi Rensa (Valkyria Chronicles)**

"We can't hold them back!" A rebel soldier shouted just before he and one of his comrades were taken down by Gallian fire. The Gallian army had pushed their way into Randgriz only hours earler and already, only Castle Randgriz remained in rebel hands.

"We can't hold them back," a rebel commander realized, "where are Lady Audrey and Commander Dirk!?"

"They've already taken the main force and left to join General Baldren in Anthold," a soldier replied.

"Good, then all that's left is to deal with the Archduchess," the commander declared.

"Don' like the sound of that," Vine's voice declared, terrifying the two soldiers. The commander never saw him and the soldier caught only a glimpse before both were rendered unconscious.

"If they've already sent men down to the dungeons, I won't make it," Vine realized, "guess I'll just leave it to my trump card and I'll deal with retaking the castle," he decided as he continued with his attack.

….

Down beneath Castle Randgriz, in the castle dungeon, Elysse and Cordelia had nearly forgotten how long they had spent in their cell. They were both startled when the dungeon door opened and two rebel soldiers rushed in.

"What is happening out there!?" Cordelia pleaded.

"That ain't none of your concern, Dark Hair," one soldier replied.

"You can't talk to the Archduchess of Gallia like that!" Elysse protested angrily.

"Quiet rat," the other soldier ordered, "we're leaving both Randgriz and Gallia behind for a while, but we're not letting them put you back on the throne, Dark Hair. You're going to die in this cell you little…" his threat was never finished as a stone pillar slammed into him, sending him flying.

"What the…!?" the remaining soldier exclaimed in fear as he pointed his rifle in the direction the attack had come from, only to be confronted by empty darkness. "How… the reports said the alchemist was on the upper levels heading up into the towers… he couldn't have gotten this far this quickly!" As he spoke, three spikes suddenly fired from the darkness, impaling his rifle and cutting deep wounds onto his wrists. He yelled with pain as he dropped his weapon.

"I guess someone should have warned you," a voice declared as a Darcsen girl clad in a short, black tank top that left her arms, shoulders, and stomach bare, black gloves and black pants with no shoes covering her bare feet emerged from the shadows, "my brother isn't the only skilled alchemist in Gallia."

"Karen!" Cordelia shouted happily as a second stone pillar struck the final soldier and knocked him out. Karen walked up to Cordelia's cell, casually leaned against the bars, and looked in at the cell's occupants.

"I can't believe you let yourself get kidnapped, **again**," Karen teased, "you know, Sis, if you want me to come visit, you just need to ask."

"I apologize," Cordelia teased back, "you're just so busy these days, it seems the only way to get your attention is to need you to come and rescue me." Both Darcsen young women couldn't help but giggle.

….

"Keep your head down!" Welkin ordered as members of the Gallian military took cover to evade fire from three rebel tanks that were set up in the Castle Randgriz courtyard. "Vine, we've got three tanks that are keeping us from advancing into the castle!" he shouted through the Edelweiss' radio."

….

"Not for long," Vine replied as he inched carefully onto a ledge outside a tower window high above the courtyard. Far below him, he could see the three enemy tanks harassing his comrades and he fired three quick blasts down at them.

….

To those on the ground, it seemed the wrath of god had been unleashed on the tanks as three powerful bursts of red light crashed down on the tanks, destroying them.

"Show off," Rosie declared as Gallian forces poured into the castle courtyard and began mopping up the remaining rebels.

"Well, that should just about finish it," Largo declared.

….

Castle Randgriz was soon retaken and Cordelia restored to her throne, but the battle was far from over.

"Looks like the Gassenarl's fled before we arrived," Welkin revealed as he joined Vine in the castle throne room.

"Doesn't matter, there's only one place left for them to go," Vine revealed.

"Anthold Port," Kurt declared, "it's the only major city left in rebel control and the perfect place to go if you need to flee the country.

"So they're getting' lost," Rosie realized, "so that's a good thing, right?"

"No, letting them flee to the Federation would be the worst move we could make," Vine revealed, "if they escape and manage to gain Federation support, we'll be in even bigger trouble."

"So, we goin' to Anthold then, or what?" Largo asked.

"We are, but you won't be joining me just yet," Vine declared.

"What do you mean, Vine?" Welkin asked.

"Gather the troops and I'll explain."

….

Vine wasn't the only alchemist preparing to depart for Anthold. At Lanseal, all non-defense essential squads had prepared to depart to assault the port, including Edward Elric and Class G.

"So Vine and Welkin managed to retake Randgriz," Ed smirked as he looked at a map, "now all that's left is to keep Baldren from fleeing to the Federation and this war will be over."

"Anthold is a port town on Gallia's western shore, and is the starting point of the fastest shipping lane from Gallia to the Federation. It's also the rebels' final stronghold, so I doubt they'll let us in without a fight," Zeri declared.

"Even so, if we pull this off, Gallia will be safe again, so there's no way we can afford to lose!" Avan declared firmly.

"Right," Ed replied, "alright guys, let's go finish this."

"YEEAAHH!" was Class G's unanimous reply.

….

Saying they were going to finish the war and actually doing it would soon prove to be two very different tasks. As soon as Lanseal's squads and southern regular forces met on the outskirts of Anthold,m they began their attack, and almost instantly found themselves in trouble.

"Darn it," Julianna cursed, "those fools should have known a frontal assault would never work!"

"With this many tanks, I'm guessing Audrey must be leading the last of the rebels' armored corps to defend her brother's escape. The regular army's vanguard unit was completely wiped out!" Zeri revealed.

"And we'll be next if we don't think of a plan," Ed cursed as he looked around, "I wonder if we can use the city's aqueducts to our advantage somehow."

"That's it!" Avan exclaimed, "what if we use some explosives to destroy the aqueducts!?"

"With Audrey's forces set up right beneath them, we could disable her entire force with one shot," Ed said considerately, "but… it's too much of a risk."

"What do you mean, Ed?" Cosette asked.

"Well, in order to bring down the entire aqueduct and do the damage we'd need it to, the explosives would have to be placed in the center of the overpass where the ducts cross the road. Whoever's arming the bomb would have little time to escape the blast zone before it went, and if he didn't, then there's almost no chance he'd survive the fall," Ed replied.

"Darn, I didn't think about that," Avan revealed.

"Even so, we can't gain any ground by just rushing them head on," Julianna declared, "we may not have a chance but to risk it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Alright, I guess I'll have to take care of it, then," Ed sighed in response.

"That won't work," Zeri declared firmly, "the rebels know you're with us, and if you're not here, they may become suspicious."

"Zeri's right. If this plan is going to work, it's vital that the rebels not realize what we're doing," Julianna revealed, "what's worse, Audrey Gassenarl is familiar with Hardins and me from Rohendahl, so it's doubtful we'd be able to get away with it for long if one of us attempted to plant the explosives."

"Then it looks like I'll have to do it," Zeri declared.

"What!? No way man, I'm Class Chair, I should do it," Avan protested.

"You heard what Julianna said," Zeri replied, "sending you would be too risky. On the other hand, I wouldn't likely be missed, which means I have the best shot of getting into position and planting the explosives before we're discovered."

"But… Zeri…" Julianna began to protest nervously.

"I'll be alright. After all, I certainly can't afford to die in a place like this. That's no way to become a hero," Zeri declared confidently.

"No, it's not," Avan replied, "so I guess you'll just have to not die."

"I don't like this," Ed admitted, "but what choice do we have at this point? Fine, I'll just have to leave it to you then, Zeri."

"Don't worry, Fullmetal," Zeri replied, "you all just focus on holding off the rebels and keeping them occupied. I'll handle the rest."

"He says that like we've got the easy job," Ed sighed.

"Alright, we gotta hold 'em here!" Avan ordered the members of his squad, "Class G, MOVE OUT!"

"We shall not give the rebels time to think," Julianna ordered, "Class A, COMMENCE OPERATION!"

….

With their chairs' orders, both Lanseal squads engaged the rebels and a fierce battle soon erupted. Julianna charged aggressively, using her Fencer sword to begin cutting down any rebel she could reach. Two rebel fencers charged her from behind, only to have their swords parried by Alexis who quickly dispatched them both.

"Thanks for the help," Julianna declared as she and Alexis stood back to back to face the rebels.

"You're thanking me?" Alexis replied, "It's amazing what a war can change."

"I suppose so," Julianna replied as four rebel Fencer's surrounded them.

"Can you handle two at once?" Alexis inquired.

"I could handle all four of them," Julianna replied, "but you're welcome to help if you want."

"Fine with me," Alexis replied as the two Lanseal Fencers attacked.

….

Two tanks suddenly found themselves facing skyward as Ed and Al ran past them and continued to disable tanks by dropping them into pits or using pillars to raise them into the air.

"Darn it, I was hoping we might be able to make some progress like this, but there're just too many tanks," Ed cursed as he realized that the two Elrics were barely making a dent in the number of enemy tanks, "I guess we'll just have to settle for keeping them busy for now! Don't take to many unnecessary risks!" he shouted to Franca and Marion who were taking cover nearby, "we just have to distract them."

"You're one to talk, Elric!" Franca shouted back as she poked around her cover and opened fire on a group of rebel Scouts with her Assault Rifle.

"Heh, I guess not," Ed replied as he resumed his attack.

"Elric, can you hear me?" Zeri's voice called over the radio.

"Zeri!? Good, where are you!?" Ed demanded.

….

Unfortunately for Ed and the others, Audrey had already grown suspicious of their change of tactics. "Their tactics are oddly passive. What changed since Rohendahl?" she wondered, "are they waiting for reinforcements from Randgriz, or is it something else? Fetch me a scout!" she ordered one of her soldiers.

"Yes ma'am!" the soldier replied.

….

"I've reached my target," Zeri declared, "I'm setting the timer for 3 minutes to give me time to get off the duct, and then it'll blow."

"That was quick, great work, Zeri!" Ed declared, "alright, get out of there."

"You don't have to…" Zeri began to say but a gunshot sounded and static filled Ed's wireless.

"Zeri? HEY! ZERI!?"

….

"Darn it!" Zeri exclaimed as his wireless radio was shot out of his hand by a rebel scout, "not now!"

"We've got a Lanseal cadet on the aqueduct!" the scout shouted as another scout joined him.

"I don't have time for this. I've got to get out of here!" Zeri realized as he turned to run, only to find two scouts standing on the other side of the duct, trapping him.

"No!" Zeri cried in dismay as he glanced down at the timer on the bomb. Of his three minutes, only 30 seconds remained. "I'm trapped… there's no way out!" Zeri realized as he watched the last of the seconds tick from the timer.

….

"ZERRRIIII!" Julianna cried in dismay as the bomb detonated. The initial explosion gave Zeri a final chance to escape as the surprised rebel scouts were knocked off balance allowing Zeri to run past them in a mad dash for the safety of the cliff. Unfortunately, before he could reach it, the duct beneath him fell and he was barely able to grab the edge of the cliff wall as the ground beneath him fell away, leaving him dangling by one hand high above the ground below.

"Oh man, not good!" Ed shouted in dismay, "HANG ON ZERI!"

….

Audrey heard the explosion, but was unable to see where it had come from.

"What's going on out there!?" she demanded. She got her answer when debris from the aqueduct slammed into the ground behind her, crushing several of her tanks. "What!?" she cried in dismay as water from the ducts flooded the streets and engulfed her tank.

….

High above her, Zeri was still desperately trying to hold on!

"No, I'm not going to make it!" Ed realized in dismay as a wave of water crashed into Zeri, nearly knocking him off of the wall. Ed watched with dismay as the rock Zeri was holding began to crumble and Zeri began to fall. Suddenly, a second figure appeared on the cliff wall, and grabbed Zeri's hand. While Ed couldn't tell much about the figure, he could tell that whoever it was, they were a Darcsen. That Darcsen… was Imca!

"Are you alright!?" Imca shouted to Zeri as she pulled him back up onto the cliff wall.

"I'm fine, thanks," Zeri replied as he stood up.

….

For once, Audrey wasn't sure what to do and was beginning to panic. Her tank was completely surrounded by water and she knew it was only a matter of time before her tank was crushed. She had to do something, but she didn't know if there was anything she could do.

"No… no, no, no, no!" Audrey cried as she began to realize that if her tank didn't hold up, she was going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it. "Is this it? Is it really over?" she cried, "darn. Darn, darn, darn DARN IT!" A sound above her caught her attention, causing her to look up just as a hand grabbed the front of her shirt. Seconds later, a spark from the compressing Geirolul struck the tanks ammunition supply, detonating the ammo and causing the tank to explode.

**Closing Theme: Heart of Sword (Rurouni Kenshin)**

"Alright, that's one down and two to go."

"Alright, then let's finish this!"

"Commencing Battle!"

"Wait, Leon, it's me, Avan!"

**Next Time: An Explosive Confrontation ALI VS DIRK**

"Gramps!"


	38. Chapter 38

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Invaders of Gallia**

**Episode 38**

**AN EXPLOSIVE CONFRONTATION**

**Ali vs Dirk**

**Opening Theme: Kanashimi Rensa (Valkyria Chronicles)**

Audrey coughed as she began to regain consciousness. She remembered that she had nearly been killed when the flood created from the destroyed Aqueduct had taken her tank, but she couldn't recall how she had managed to escape her tank and she didn't know where she was now.

"She's waking up," a voice shouted. Audrey was surprised by how familiar the voice sounded as she slowly opened her eyes to see who had spoken. Her eyes widened with shock when she saw the speaker.

"Nik… Nikki?" she stuttered as she realized Nichole Bridgette was kneeling next to her.

"Ah, welcome back to the world of the living my lovely Ms…" Balwin began to state. However, just the sound of the old pervert's voice was enough to cause Audrey to shoot upright with a scream, slapping the old man across his cheek and knocking him onto his side. "Well, I see you haven't gotten any softer these last two years," the old man declared as he rose, rubbing his cheek.

"Where am I? Why are you two here?" Audrey asked as she tried to remember what had happened.

"What kind of question is that?" an irritated voice demanded. Audrey looked up to see Ralph Bridgette glaring angrily at her.

"Ralph?"

"You're safe and alive, which is a lot better off than you'd have been if my little sister didn't always get her way," Ralph declared, earning himself an irate glare from his younger sister.

"Now, now Ralph. That really isn't…" Balwin began to protest.

"So… you guys saved me?" Audrey realized, "why… how?"

"It wasn't us," Ralph hissed, "you wanna thank someone for pulling your butt out of that death trap, then you'd better thank the same guy who pulled you out of a hundred just like it before."

"Let it go, Ralph. That's an order," a voice which made Audrey's blood run cold ordered. Looking up to the top of a small hill they were sitting at the base of, she saw him. His red cape was being blown out like a flag by the wind as he stood with his back turned to her, looking down at Anthold Harbor.

"Colonel…" Nichole stuttered.

"Come now, Colonel, there must be something you wish to say. After all, you did just save young Audrey's life," Balwin suggested, causing Vine to turn his head and glare down at the Gassenarl sister, frightening her even more.

"Don't ever let me see your face again," Vine ordered angrily as Imca appeared from the other side of the hill and stood beside him, "come on, we've still got work to do," he ordered his squad as he descended out of sight down the hill followed by his new Lieutenant.

"Well, even I wasn't expecting him to be that blunt," Ralph admitted as he followed Vine towards the main harbor.

"Colonel, wait!" Nichole pleaded.

"Nikki, we should go," Balwin suggested. Nichole slumped with disappointment, obviously upset with how things had turned out. She gave one last sad look at Audrey before she left to follow her brother and her commander.

"Darn it, why did he do that? Why!?" Audrey shouted angrily as she slammed her fist against the ground.

"He always has been an interesting guy, that one. I've seen a lot of brave soldiers in my day, but none of them quite compare to him," Balwin admitted.

"What's your point, old man?" Audrey cried desperately.

"Ralph may believe that Vine saved you because Nichole begged him to, but I think we both know better. If he were planning to see you dead, why not let you go now? You'd have been dealt with and Vine wouldn't have even had to lift a finger to stop you. Instead, he secretly rescued you and brought you here, deceiving his comrades into believing you were killed."

"What do you mean?" Audrey asked, a little surprised by what Balwin was implying.

"Well, I was just thinking. Vine didn't reveal himself to the Lanseal squads before he saved you. In fact, I still don't think they realized he's arrived yet, unless the recognized Imca when she saved the boy who destroyed the aqueduct. If they don't know he's here, then how could they know that he prevented your death? I'll bet the Gallian army now thinks you perished in your tank. You could likely walk away from this battlefield right now and no one would ever even know. Quite interesting how convenient that is, isn't it?" he glanced back at her to see how she was reacting before continuing. When he was convinced what he was implying was sinking in, he continued. "Well, I guess I should leave. Too bad, I hope we get to see each other again, my lovely little Audrey." Audrey was to dumbstruck to even respond as Balwin turned his back on her. "On a less subtle note, you should know that Vine is taking a great risk to allow you to walk away from this, free and clear. If you ever cared for the man at all, you won't make that risk come back to haunt him." With that, the old man walked away, and Audrey Gassenarl was left, alone and presumed dead by the Gallian army.

….

Meanwhile, the Gallian army had begun its push into Anthold port and Lanseal's squads had just pushed into the town's main square.

"Alright, no sweat. This is going great!" Avan declared as Class G finished securing a perimeter in the town square.

"Yeah, too great if you ask me," Ed admitted, "what're the rebels up to."

"Audrey Gassenarl may be dead and most of their armored battalion destroyed," Julianna declared, "but even so, there's no way such a loss would cause the rebels to give up. Not when their entire cause is on the line."

"We're not done yet," Zeri declared, "not until Baldren is either captured or killed."

"What do you think, Brother? What should we do?" Alphonse asked as Ed stood watching a road that led into the square.

"We get ready to fight," Ed replied, "we've got company!"

"What kind of company?" Julianna demanded as all of Squad G turned their attention down the road Ed was watching. They were horrified when dozens of V2s began to file into the street, Dirk Gassenarl at their head.

"The bad kind," Ed declared as he transmuted his automail blade.

"Leon…" Avan stuttered as Dirk began to advance towards them.

"Keep it together, Avan," Ed ordered, "if you want to save your brother, you're going to have to stay focused. You can't let yourself be distracted."

"Right," Avan admitted, "everyone, prepare to intercept!" he ordered as the Lanseal students all hurried to cover and prepared to fight the V2s.

"Alright, come on!" Ed ordered as he charged at the V2s.

….

Dirk fired the first shot, firing a wave of blue flame that Ed dodged before jumping over Dirk and landing a powerful kick into the Artificial Valkyrur's helmet, causing him to stagger backwards.

"No flame shield, huh? Guess you don't have a power source nearby, which means you're mine!" he shouted as he swung his automail blade and locked it against Dirk's physical shield.

"Open fire!" Avan ordered as the V2s continued their advance. Without a second thought, every Lanseal cadet began to open fire on the V2s. Without their flame shields to protect them, four dropped instantly as the remainder began to open fire on the cadets. Even without a power source to strengthen their flames, the V2s attacks still proved to be incredibly powerful and the cadets were soon being battered by their attacks. Julianna watched powerlessly as a large group of her own squadmates were blown away by a V2 before she could do anything to stop it.

"Darn it, this has to end now," she cursed as Zeri managed to bring down the V2 that had killed her squad members.

"We need more firepower! Where's the Dream!?" Avan demanded. As if to answer is question, the Isara's Dream almost immediately broke through the wall of a building and fired a tank shell into the V2s, blowing two away.

"So much for minimal damage," Lavinia declared, "oh well, I guess it can't be helped now." Suddenly, another tank shell rocketed past her, blowing away a couple more V2s. Lavinia was surprised as a heavy Gallian army tank rolled up beside the dream. At first, she couldn't figure out who's tank it might be, cut as she looked it over, she noticed a turret sticker that made her cringe. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Well well, Lavi, looks like you've built quite the tank there," Balwin Lane declared as he opened the hatch of his tank and stood above it, "I guess some of what I taught you finally sunk in."

"Who the heck asked you, Old Man!?" Lavinia shouted angrily as she climbed out of the Dream to confront her grandfather, "when did you get here, anyway!?"

"Oh, we just arrived. Don't hold it against us, Lavi, it is quite a trip to get here from Randgriz," Balwin pleaded.

"What do you mean, we?" Lavinia replied.

….

Ed swung his automail blade which Dirk parried with his weapon before knocking Edward away from himself with his shield. Looking up just in time, he was just able to raise his shield to block three blasts that slammed into him from above, driving him several inches into the ground. His shield was still raised when Vine landed in front of him, allowing the Raging Blast Alchemist to carve a deep gash into the Artificial Valkyrur's armor, causing him to stagger backwards.

"What the heck, Short Stuff? I thought you were distracting him," Vine scolded.

"I was!" Ed shouted back, "maybe if you'd get the lead out once in a while, you could have gotten him!" By now Dirk had recovered from Vine's blow and was facing the two alchemists again.

"Damage Minimal," he declared as he prepared to attack.

"Darn it, hey Colonel, don't forget who this guy really is," Ed cautioned.

"I haven't," Vine replied, "but even so, we're going to have to hurt him if we're going to stop him. We can worry about how to help him after we end this war."

"Darn it, well, I guess it can't be helped. Let's stop him before things really get out of hand."

….

"Man, there sure are a lot of 'em!" Rene cursed as she fired her Anti-Tank Lance into a group of V2s, only managing to kill one despite injuring a few others.

"It's no good!" Alexis shouted as her sword deflected harmlessly off of a V2s armor, "Even without their shields, our attacks can't penetrate their armor!" As the V2 rose it's weapon to strike her, Alexis realized her only hope was to raise her shield and hope for the beat as she couldn't hope to dodge.

"Don't lose heart children!" Major Armstrong ordered as he roared onto the battlefield, "they must be stopped here. Swinging his fist, he bowled over the V2 attacking Alexis with a vicious clothesline before punching the ground, launching several large rocks into the air which he punched at several V2s, transmuting them into spikes as he did, which easily pierced the V2s armor, taking out a half a dozen enemies.

….

Anisette screamed as she was blown onto her back by a V2s flame.

"Anisette, no!" Cosette screamed as the V2 advanced on the terrified Annisette. The young idol to be could only watch in horror as the V2 closed in on her. Suddenly, a figure shot by the V2, taking off its head as she did. As the V2 fell, Cosette and Anisette realized that their savior… was Imca!

"Are you two alright?" Imca demanded as Cosette ran to Annisette's side.

"We're fine, thanks," Cosette replied gratefully to her savior, "you were with Vine's group! Does that mean that he's here too?"

Imca only replied with a smile, before turning and heading off to continue the fight.

"Alright, about time something good happened!" Anisette exclaimed happily.

….

Vine and Ed both jumped back from Dirk, just in time to allow themselves to evade a powerful flame attack.

"This is getting annoying," Vine cursed, "even Selvaria wasn't this much of a pain in the neck. That armor and shield are both well built."

"When you fought Selvaria, I doubt she had an army of little Valkyrurs swarming around either," Ed reminded him, "those V2s are giving the others a really hard time."

"I noticed," Vine admitted, "If this keeps up, we won't be able to keep focusing our efforts on Gassenarl, because we'll have to save the others from the V2s. I doubt Baldren is holding anything back this time. We're likely up against every V2 he has left as his disposal."

"Well that isn't a comforting thought," Ed admitted.

"It wasn't meant to be," Vine declared, "on the glass-half-full side of things, though. If we can defeat them, then we'll have wiped out Baldren's final defense. From there, the rest should be easy."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Ed replied, "so what's our plan?"

"Let's leave Dirk be for now and focus our efforts on beating the V2s. That'll give us a much better shot of defeating him. We won't have to worry about his cronies or the others."

"Fine, but let's at least keep him busy for a while," Ed declared as he clapped his hands together. Using his alchemy, he formed a dome over Dirk that Vine quickly reinforced with a stone cage made of thick stone pillars before Ed formed a final dome over the cage.

"With his reduced fire power, that should buy us some time, so let's not waste it," Vine ordered as the two alchemists ran to help their friends defeat the V2s.

….

Meanwhile, their friends were in desperate need of their help as at least two dozen V2s had surrounded the town square, trapping the battered and beaten Lanseal cadets.

"There's just no end to them," Zeri groaned as he tried to catch his breath behind a wall.

"It doesn't matter… how many we defeat," Cosette gasped, "we're not getting anywhere."

"Grrr… don't give up!" Avan ordered, "we've come too far to fail now!"

"Naïve little boy," Balwin declared, "but he's got spirit. He reminds me of someone I know."

"Better a naïve little boy then a perverted old coot," Lavinia replied, "try not to throw out your back, Old Man."

"Now Lavi, you know that I haven't had any back trouble in years," Balwin declared, "Let's end this."

"Focus your fire and bring 'em down one at a time!" Vine ordered as he and Ed arrived to help.

"Without a power supply, this'll be easy," Ed declared as he held up his automail blade. As if to mock the height challenged alchemist, the V2s flame shields suddenly powered up and formed around the artificial monsters!

"You had to say it," Vine cursed, "WATCH OUT! THEIR FIRE POWER WILL DOUBLE NOW THAT THEY'RE AT FULL POWER!"

"They aren't the only ones!" Ed panicked as a blue flame shot into the sky, revealing that Dirk had smashed out of his prison. Moments later, the most powerful Artificial Valkyrur emerged from his swarm of V2s and stood at their head, facing the Lanseal and Gallian forces.

"Crap," Vine cursed.

"Eliminate them," Dirk ordered as the shielded V2s began to advance on the heroes.

"Hope you don't think we'll make it that easy for you," Vine declared as he formed a small ring on the hilt of his sword which he stuck his finger through and began to twirl the sword, "now, Raging Blast Rain Attack!" he shouted as he began to quickly twirl the sword on his finger, firing hundreds of tiny blasts as he did which pelted the V2s like a swarm of angry hornets. Unfortunately, the blasts did absolutely nothing to pierce the shields. "Well, it was worth a try," Vine cursed, "though in the end, I guess it was just a waste of energy."

"We could try to find the power source like we did in Leanbluff!" Ed suggested.

"They'll be expecting that," Vine replied, "besides which, we're completely surrounded. There's no way we could sneak a squad out past all of these V2s."

"Yeah, you're right," Ed admitted, though not happily, "so what then?"

"Working on it," Vine replied, "alright, guess it's as good a time as any to cut loose."

"Why am I getting a bad feeling when you say 'cut loose'?" Ed asked.

"Because it's probably going to suck," Vine replied as he placed his hands on the ground and transmuted a massive cannon. "EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Vine ordered as the cannon fired a massive, powerful blast that cleared a path through the V2s. Taking advantage of the momentary confusion, Vine used iron from the ground around him to form twin copies of his usual sword.

"Fullmetal! I gotta destroy the power source or we'll never beat them before we wear ourselves down! I'll try to draw as much of their attention as I can!" he shouted.

"Fine, just don't get killed!" Ed replied, "Al, let's keep 'em busy!"

"Right, Brother!" Al shouted as the two Elric brothers rushed the V2s.

"I'm right behind you, Edward Elric!" Major Armstrong roared as he thundered up behind them and began knocking V2s flying with his fists.

"Let's help 'em out, guys!" Avan ordered as Squad G resumed the battle. Vine, meanwhile, took off as fast as he could through the opening he had created, blasting and cutting any V2s unfortunate enough to be in his line of fire!

"Vine! I'm coming too!" Ali shouted as she ran up alongside Vine, her Valkyrian aura glowing with incredible power. Realizing his young friend wasn't about to take no for an answer, he nodded his head in approval.

"Right, let's do this!" he replied as Valkyrur and Darcsen broke through the V2 seige and began to seek out their power source.

"WATCH OUT!" Vine shouted suddenly, pushing Ali back as he jumped out of the path of a massive blue energy wave, fired by Dirk Gassenarl. "You're as stubborn as your brother," Vine cursed as he held up his swords, preparing to fight, "but to challenge me one-on-one, means idiocy must run in the family."

"Vine!" Ali shouted in reply, "I got him! You gotta help the others!"

"You sure!? He'll be a lot stronger then the last time you fought him!" Vine cautioned.

"I'll be fine!" Ali shouted, "I'm stronger too!"

"Alright, then, I won't be long!" Vine promised as he took off to finish his mission.

"These people are important to me," Ali admitted as she faced Dirk, "AND I WON'T LET YOU HURT THEM! NOT COSSETTE, NOT BIG GUY, NOT SHORTY, NOT AVAN, NONE OF THEM! YOU HEAR ME!"

"Commencing battle," Dirk replied.

"Fine, have it your way," Ali hissed as the real Valkyrur charged the artificial one.

**Closing Theme: Heart of Sword (Rurouni Kenshin)**

"Good grief, 'bout time this one got a new chapter."

"Quiet, Short Stuff."

"Don't call me short!"

"Vine, you've gotta hurry! We can't stop them like this!"

"Gramps!"

**Next Time: A Heroes Fall VINE ENRAGED**

"You freaks will regret this! ALL THE WAY TO THE GRAVE!"


	39. Chapter 39

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Invaders of Gallia**

**Episode 39**

**A HERO'S FALL**

**Vine Enraged**

**Opening Theme: Kanashimi Rensa (Valkyria Chronicles)**

"RAGING BLAST TWIN BLADE DANCE!" Vine shouted as he agilely cut his way through a group of rebel soldiers.

"I'm encountering these goons in greater numbers, meaning I must be close," he determined as he continued his search.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Ahhh!" Zeri yelped as a flame blew him onto his back.

"Zeri!" Julianna cried in dismay as a V2 aimed for the downed Darcsen. Seconds before it fired, Imca jumped in front of it and swung Var, knocking the gun up and forcing it to fire harmlessly into the sky.

"Darn it!" she hissed as the V2 forced her back, "we aren't losing here!" She looked up and prepared to charge again, but stopped in her tracks. Seven V2s had weapons pointed at Squad G and her, and they were seconds from firing! "No! Get back!"

"Get back to where!?" Zeri replied.

"Oh man, this is bad! Everyone take cover!" Avan ordered as cadets ran for cover and dove to the ground, despite knowing they had almost no chance of evading the attack. The V2s fired simultaneously, unleashing a carpet of blue flame that approached the students.

"We're done for!" Zeri cried out in despair. Nobody expected a tank to suddenly roll between the cadets and the flame as the flames struck the vehicles side.

"Huh? That's the tank that came with Vine's crew!" Avan realized.

"What's he doing!?" Cosette cried.

"Gramps! Are you insane!?" Lavinia shouted, "get out of there!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Inside his tank, Balwin Lane had a triumphant smile on his face.

"Well waddaya know. I didn't think that would work, but I guess it did.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Using a pillar to propel himself upwards onto a building top, Vine spotted his target bellow him.

"Found you!" he shouted as he channeled energy into his swords.

"HERE WE GO!" he roared as he swung both swords, firing a pair of blasts at the Supply Vehicle.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

The V2s attack left Balwin's tank severely damaged as they began to charge for another shot.

"Well. It looks like I survived the first one. I guess these V2s aren't as tough as they look," he declared triumphantly.

"Gramps!" Lavinia's voice cried over the radio.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Get outta there, Gramps! That tank won't take another shot! You've got to..." Lavinia cried into her radio.

"It's alright, Lavinia," Balwin's voice came over the radio.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"If I move this tank, then it's those kids of yours who take the blow instead. I know that isn't what you want to happen," Balwin revealed.

"Then let me help! The Dream can take it!" Lavinia begged.

"NO!" Balwin shouted, breaking his usually calm demeanor for the first time, "you stay back. This is my last fight, and I will handle it alone."

Lavinia opened her mouth to reply, but before she could shout anything, the V2s opened fire.

"GRAMPS!" Lavinia cried as the blue flame struck Balwin's tank, resulting in an explosion. At that moment, Vine destroyed his target and the V2s shields dropped.

"They're vulnerable!" Ed shouted, clapping his hands together, "now to stop 'em!"

"Take 'em down!" Avan ordered.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ali jumped back as Dirk fired a blast into the ground where she had been. As soon as she landed, she charged, swinging her lance, which slammed into Dirk's shield. Ali yelped as Dirk managed to knock her off balance and she just managed to raise her shield before Dirk blasted her, driving her back into a nearby wall which crumbled down on top of her.

Dirk approached the rubble cautiously as Ali exploded from the pile and charged at him. Their shields collided, creating a burst of energy that sent them both sliding away from each other.

"Damage Moderate," Dirk confirmed, "proceeding with operation."

"You aren't proceeding with anything!" Ali shouted, "I'm gonna stop ya!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ed rose his automail blade to block a V2 that was swinging its weapon at him. The V2 suddenly dropped to the side as Vine landed behind him, his sword held out as if he'd just swung.

"What the heck, Colonel, what took you so long!?" Ed shouted.

"Sorry, I got held up," Vine replied, his gaze fixed on the ruined tank. Lavinia had exited the Dream and was apparently crying as she knelt in front of the rubble. "No… Don't tell me!"

"He saved us," Cosette cried, "but…"

Vine clenched his teeth as he walked to the destroyed tank.

"Gramps…" Lavinia sobbed.

"Get up, Lavinia," Vine ordered as he transmuted a second sword from Balwin's destroyed tank, "we can mourn our losses later, but for now, you need to make sure his sacrifice isn't in vain by getting back in your tank and protecting those kids."

Walking around the tank, Vine faced the V2s. "Fullmetal, take the others and go after Baldren! I'll handle this and catch up. Avan, Ali is fighting your brother. See what you can do, but don't get yourself killed."

"Hold on!" Ed protested, "you can't…"

"We can't let Baldren leave this harbor!" Vine shouted back, "we can't waste any more time here! Besides…" he said as he turned, "if I'm being honest right now, you're in my way."

"I don't think I like what that means," Zeri admitted.

"You kids might wanna go," Imca ordered, "I've only seen him like this once before, and it wasn't pretty."

"Hold on, what're you doing?" Ed demanded.

"I'm gonna enjoy the show," Imca replied.

"Raging Blast…" Vine said as he crossed his swords in front of him as several V2s prepared to fire on him.

"Vine! LOOK OUT!" Cosette cried.

"TWIN BLADE DANCE!" Vine roared, swinging his swords agilely and unleashing a barrage of crescent blasts that slammed into V2s and sent them flying.

"He just took down a dozen V2s with one attack," Zeri stuttered in surprise.

"Get going, Fullmetal!" Vine ordered.

"Right! Let's go guys, we have to keep Baldren from escaping!" Ed ordered.

"But Ed…" Cosette protested.

"Don't worry, Cosette," Avan replied, "I bet once we're all gone and Vine doesn't have to worry about us, he'll have these guys dealt with in no time, right Vine!" Vine responded by turning his head and flashing a confident smile, before jumping into the air to avoid several V2 blasts.

"Let's go," Ed ordered as the others hesitantly agreed and Squad G headed towards the port.

"I'm not getting rid of you, am I," Vine sighed as he glanced back at Imca.

"Not a chance," Imca replied, "we'd better hurry and wrap this up if we want to finish before Mustang arrives."

"Too late," Vine replied, smirking as a wall of flame rolled over the V2s.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ali let out a roar as she slammed her lance into Dirk's shield with her lance and used a blast of flame to blow him back, knocking off his helmet. She was about to fire a killing blow, when she realized this and froze upon seeing Leon's face.

He looks just like Avan! She thought in dismay as her hesitation allowed Leon to fire on her, engulfing her in flame and launching her back into a building.

"Target eliminated," Leon declared, "continuing operation."

"You'll have to do better then that," Ali declared as she walked out of the cloud of smoke. Her uniform had a few tears and a cut on her forehead was bleeding, but she was otherwise unharmed. "I knew you were Avan's brother, but… you look so much like him. You were one of ma… of that woman's early experiments, weren't you."

"Reengaging target," Leon replied as he approached Ali.

"You can't answer me," Ali realized, "you're not even really Avan's brother anymore. Just a hollow shell."

Raising her lance and shield, Ali prepared to attack.

"Let's finish this!" She shouted angrily as she charged.

**Closing theme: Into the Light (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)**

"twin Blade Dance."

"There're more then I expected."

"Baldren's sending everything he's got to stall us, but it won't work."

**Next time: Death of the v2s RAGING BLAST, ROARING FLAME.**

"Game over you freaks."


End file.
